IND Vs SL: Rohit Sharma Praises 'All-Time Great' Ashwin & 'Top All-Rounder' Jadeja After 1st Test

IND vs SL 1st Test: Rohit Sharma said that as Indian captain, he wants to utilise Jadeja's batting strength even more. Since the past few years, Jaddu's bowling had become his prime job.

Indian team's score was 228/5 in the first Test against Sri Lanka. Word was that Lankans would bundle the home team out below 300, but Jadeja and Ashwin had other plans. Close to 350 runs were added on after losing five wickets. Jadeja scored 175 runs and became the Indian to score the highest runs as a no.7 batsman. He was well supported by Ashwin and Mohammed Shami.

In the pretext of these innings, Rohit Sharma hailed both R Ashwin and R Jadeja. He called Ashwin an "all-time great" bowler and Jadeja a "top all-rounder" in his press conference. 

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Ravi Ashwin has picked up 436 Test wickets so far. He surpassed Kapil Dev's tally of 434 wickets and became the second-highest Indian wicket-taker in Test matches. 

"To me, he is already an all-time great. He has been playing cricket for the country for so many years, his performances have been so good over the years. He has given many match-winning performances," Rohit said of Ashwin on ESPNCricinfo.

On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja had a dream Test match. He scored an unbeaten 175 and picked up 9 wickets in both innings combined. Speaking of Jadeja, Rohit said,"To me, he is one of the top allrounders."

"Look at the performances: to score 175 not out and take nine wickets in the game, he's just upping his game every time we see him. He's very hungry, as you can see. That hunger is something that drives athletes to move forward. When I talk to him about certain things, he is very open-minded. He wants to take the responsibility, he wants to take the challenge," Rohit said.

Rohit Sharma said that as Indian captain, he wants to utilise Jadeja's batting strength even more. Since the past few years, Jaddu's bowling had become his prime job.

"As a captain, I want to use Jadeja a lot more with the bat. We all know his bowling. Everyone knows about his fielding. He brings so much balance to the team as well."

Rohit Sharma said that when Virat Kohli took over as captain, the team consciously made an effort to strengthen India's lower batting order. Thus, today pacers like Shami and Bumrah are also contributing with the bat.