Not hard to explain Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin as to what team wants: Assistant coach Nayar on exclusions
There are teams where it becomes tough for seniors to accept their exclusion from the playing XI at the expense of a junior player but if there are elder statesmen like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, it is not a hard ask, feels India's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.
Both Jadeja and Ashwin, who have a cumulative wickets tally of 855, were dropped from the playing XI in the opening Test against Australia at Perth, with Washington Sundar, on the basis of current form and batting ability on bouncy tracks, getting the nod.
It's not that both were supposed to play but normally Jadeja, because of his batting abilities, has been a sure-shot starter in overseas Test matches.
"It's only tough when you have seniors who don't understand it. But when you have seniors like Jaddu and Ash who understand what the team is trying to do, it becomes very easy, because the team first policy is something that Rohit and Gauti bhai believe in," Nayar, a former Mumbai Ranji stalwart, told reporters on the eve of India's two-day practice game against Prime Minister's XI.
Nayar believes that the whole team has bought into Rohit and Gambhir's philosophy, including the two spin greats.
"I feel they have all bought into it. So I felt very happy that Jaddu and Ashwin are going to help the younger guys so that they do well here. It wasn't very hard (to explain them) and culture is such that everyone wants Team India to win," the former all-rounder said.
When asked if the spinners would have a role, he gave a very generic reply.
"I always feel in a game of cricket, nobody is out of the game and whether you are a spinner or a fast bowler, you are always in with a chance."
"Yes, your plans will change, how you release the ball and at what pace, will change, which is why you want to prepare with it (pink ball)."
"May be, a little more challenging than the red ball and primarily because you haven't bowled as much with pink ball. But I believe any top class spinner will have an opportunity," he added.
