Ashwin marks ‘Dhoni-like’ template as Jadeja’s biggest T20 limit

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed concerns over Ravindra Jadeja’s cautious approach towards spin, highlighting long-standing issues in his T20 format.Since the 2020 IPL season, Jadeja has struggled to accelerate against slower bowlers, often leaving the opposition captains to use spin as a containment strategy in the middle overs. His strike rate against spin hovered around 94.28 between 2020 and 2025, the lowest among regular middle-order batsmen, while his strike rate against slow bowling since 2018 has been just 21.22. His struggles were particularly evident against spinners who turned the ball away from him, and his strike rate was well below 100.This trend continues till IPL 2026. Jadeja has hit just 2 sixes in 117 balls so far this season and his boundary percentage across all types of bowling remains low. These numbers reinforce the idea that he is not looking to dominate midfield but rather absorb pressure.While Jadeja remains a reliable finisher against the pace, his role for Rajasthan Royals this season has become more passive, tasked with stabilizing the innings during spin-heavy phases rather than attacking the bowlers. This approach was evident against Delhi Capitals yesterday, with Jadeja promoted ahead of Donovan Ferreira but failing to make a significant impact. He scored 20 runs off 14 balls before being dismissed by Mitchell Starc.Ashwin was candid in his assessment:“Many people, including coaches, had discussed with Ravindra Jadeja how to be more aggressive against spinners, but he didn’t listen. Whenever India needed a left-hander during the 2024 T20 World Cup, they would go for Axar Patel over the more experienced Jadeja. The reason is simple, Al-Aqsa did not hesitate. He has confidence in spinners and other bowlers,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat. Ashwin also drew comparisons between Jadeja and MS Dhoni, suggesting that the two share a common mentality.“Ravindra Jadeja has this mentality similar to MS Dhoni, with whom he has been in the Indian team for many years. Both like to go deep into the game and target the pacers,” Ashwin added.