Ravindra Jadeja is a blessed cricketer and completely physically fit, asserts R Ashwin

For the longest time, ever since Ashwin dethroned Harbhajan Singh as the prime spinner for India, with Jadeja taking the place of Pragyan Ojha, there has been a fine combination in Test cricket. The duo complimented each other in a brilliant fashion to muster many a memorable win for India and the mutual admiration has only grown ever since. In a podcast with Sanjay Manjrekar, Ashwin revealed that Jadeja is definitely the benchmark for him when it comes to having natural fitness.

"Even if I train twice a day and then have a cheat meal, it will show on weighing scale by 800 gm. Certain people are blessed in a certain way and I love to take my comparison with that of Ravindra Jadeja. He is a blessed cricketer, who is completely physically fit. The harder I train, the more rudimentary I become to stay even close to where Jadeja is. Whereas Jadeja is a natural cricketer, natural bowler, natural batsman. So he just needs to tick all the boxes during a game," Ashwin told Manjrekar in the Videocast.

While Ashwin has been a thinking bowler through and through, Jadeja believes in maintaining tight lines with a minimal amount of turn. Jadeja's trait helped him reap rich dividends at home while making him a prime bowler in away conditions. Ashwin stated that Jadeja's fitness level allows him that leverage.

"I need to think more while having a field and taking accountability for it. Jaddu doesn't even need to think as he will able to land 30 overs on spot because of his physical fitness," he said.