Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin won a record-equalling Player of the Series award after helping India beat Bangladesh 2-0 in a Test series on Tuesday. Ashwin has forged a strong partnership with fellow-spinner Ravindra Jadeja, especially in Test cricket on home conditions. The pair has picked a combined 830 wickets in Test cricket, with Ashwin bagging the majority of 527. Even though only one of them is selected in the XI when the track is not a rank turner, Ashwin suggested that the selection dilemma doesn’t affect him anymore.

Ashwin, however, admitted that there was time when he used to “badmouth” Jadeja all day if the latter was picked over him in the playing XI.

“It’s very simple for me. If he plays, I’ll badmouth him all day, all night. It used to bother me at one point of time, I won’t lie. Because we all want to play. But, it doesn’t anymore because the larger goal is at the forefront of my mind,” Ashwin said at the post-match press conference.

However, Ashwin praised Jadeja for firmly establishing himself as one of the finest all-rounders in modern day cricket. 

“He’s the second left-arm spinner with 300 wickets, and I think he’s got 3000 runs as well. These are no mean feats. If he’s the one that has to play, he’s the one that has to play and I have complete faith in him. I’ve got his back when he goes out there,” he added.

Earlier this week, Jadeja became the third Indian cricketer in history to achieve the remarkable feat of scoring 3,000 runs and taking 300 wickets in Test matches. He has joined Ashwin and Kapil Dev in the list.

Ashwin, on the other hand, scripted history by becoming the first bowler ever to take at least 50 wickets in all three editions of the World Test Championship (WTC). 

Ashwin achieved the feat on Day 4 of the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur on Monday when he dismissed Shakib Al Hasan for 9. 

Ashwin, who is the top-ranked Test bowler in the world right now, completed 50 wickets in 10 matches and overall, he is the second highest wicket-taker in WTC history behind Australia’s Nathan Lyon.