Ashwin, Jadeja should bowl together in Tests too

How sweet it is to be winning again; how sweet it is to watch our young players diving and running and leaping on the field – (Manoj Tiwari at point made just that – and a very big one, too); how sweet it is to see pace and bounce and threat in our fast bowlers – (why, oh, why – was Aaron not tried in England?). Now, this is all at home, and not alone – true, true, true – but to have Kohli and Raina sparkle, and Gambhir back in form, and Dhoni on another planet – this is just what we needed. The stats tell it all – almost… Dhoni not out, and Kohli, Gambhir and Raina as the other top batsmen. We have a nucleus, at home, for a long time to come – now, now, now – a series against the Windies, to carry on the magic – and then, Down Under, against an Aussie team thirsting for revenge like never before. Testing times, besting times, no resting times. But the most fascinating aspect of the Brownwash – after the amazing fielding, was the bowling. Ashwin and Jadeja with ten and eleven wickets, and both going at less than five an over – brilliant – and then Aaron in his 9.1 overs bowling four Englishmen, at an average of only 4.69 an over… is he the real thing? [caption id=“attachment_117545” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“It may have been at home but the win over England was convincing and much-needed. Reuters”] [/caption] Dhoni must have some doubts, otherwise Aaron would have played much sooner. But he has a look about him – raw, yes – but very fit and very strong and he even fields with relish. He smiles, he battles – he has a personality – very, very interesting. Will just pace work in Australia? That is the test… the Test. Vinay Kumar and Yadav also bowled with zest, which was wonderful to see. If anyone looked jaded, it was Praveen Kumar and with good reason. But he must keep bowling – with his swing and some genuine pace at the other end, our attack, post-Zaheer, looks interesting – again – and with Ashwin and Jadeja manning the spin, Australia will not know what to expect – yes, we should persist with these two. Jadeja has been a mystery, but he looked the real thing in this series – fielding, bowling, batting – brash, slash, gnash – but good. Harbhajan will be there, because he irritates the Aussies but Ashwin and Jadeja will make a very interesting attack, at any level. But to have two bowlers over 140 kph, and another very close, the attack looks to have teeth – let us hope the teeth are not false, and stay in place. Gambhir also looked alive again, and ready to chip in, and chirp in, whenever required – that, too, without his Sehwag for company – have heard that Gambhir was very fond of taekwondo in school – you can see it in the way his bat darts and thrusts, and parries, and is so swift – a minimum of backlit, and the maximum of effect – quick, quick, quick – that is Gambhir – Yes, I can hear the voices – even mine – saying this was only a one-day series, that, too, at home – but there was something in the way we won – just as there was something in the way we lost in England – which tells the true story – in England we lost very, very poorly – in this series, we won with dash and style and confidence – Cricket, glorious cricket – And I just played an ‘old-boy’ match in Mussoorie, and the blue sky over the school-field was like a blessing from heaven – there is nothing – nothing – like cricket in the hills, on a Sunday afternoon in October – with old friends and new – who knew – and know – and glow –