The last two years have been a dream run for Virat Kohli and his Indian team as they have gone about climbing to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings and subsequently consolidated their position at the summit.
While the Men in Blue garner all the attention and adulation for their feat, there have been two rocks on which the foundation of their Test success has been built.
With the high value placed on players who can contribute with both bat and ball, the ICC Test rankings for all-rounders make good reading for Indian supporters.
Indeed, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin occupy spots two and three while Bangaldesh’s Shakib Al Hasan remains atop of the standings.
India have long struggled to find a genuine all-rounder in the mold of Kapil Dev and their search for one continued in the nineties and early 21st century without bearing any fruit.
Left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan was touted as the next big thing in Test cricket after his early performances for the national team. It wasn’t to be though as the improvement in the Baroda man’s batting was neutralized by the loss of swing in his bowling.
An all-rounder has become hugely important to add balance to Test sides these days. The presence of a genuine one in the squad allows captains to go for the extra bowling or batting option, depending on the conditions on offer.
India’s run to the top of the Test rankings has included home series victories against New Zealand, England and Australia with away wins against the likes of West Indies and Sri Lanka.
During this period, since the start of 2016, Ashwin has grabbed 105 wickets in 19 matches at an average of 25.27 while Jadeja has claimed 80 scalps in 16 games at an average of 22.62.
Ravichandran Ashwin's Test stats are impressive. #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/Og0tzseWf6
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) August 4, 2017
While those figures are enough for the duo to stake a claim in the playing XI of any Test squad as specialist bowlers, it is their batting which has elevated the performance of the Indian team.
In the same period, Ashwin has scored 800 runs at an average of 34.78 while Jadeja has hit 663 at an average of more than 41.
The 28-year-old Jadeja has seven half-centuries to his credit in the past year and Ashwin has scored two tons along with five fifties.
Their contributions with the bat down the order have turned India’s lower order into the most effective among all Test playing nations in the period.
Indeed, the Indian batting effort, from position six right to the last tailender, since the beginning of 2016, averaged the highest number of runs per wicket (32+). This was marginally better than second-best side England.
The presence of two such genuine match-winning all-rounders in Kohli’s squad has imparted an aura of invincibility to the Indians, especially on subcontinental wickets.
Ravindra Jadeja no. 1 Test bowler in latest ICC Rankings released, Ravichandran Ashwin at 2nd spot pic.twitter.com/ZiphmW6Ane
— Shruti Media (@Shrutipreethy) August 1, 2017
It is an impossible task to separate the importance of the two but the conditions on offer in the subcontinent allow Kohli the luxury of including both of them in the playing XI without any hesitation.
It is only overseas on seaming tracks in England, South Africa and Australia where the Indian skipper might be inclined to drop one of them. But that conundrum could be solved with the presence of a seaming all-rounder and the emergence of Hardik Pandya could prove to be vital in that regard.
As Ashwin and Jadeja continue to flourish in Sri Lanka currently, India will be equipped with plenty of options when they go on to tour South Africa later this year.
While they may not be ranked at the very top, the spin duo have provided Kohli with the most lethal ‘all-round pair’ going around in Test cricket lately.
