Ashwin – who has become Kohli's main weapon – left-arm spinner Jadeja and leggie Mishra have become a dangerous combination for the opposition, especially at home.
It's a great time to be captain of the Indian Test team these days. Virat Kohli has India's best spinners at his disposal. And not one, not two, but three: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra.
Not many Indian captains had the same kind of luxury in the past. Even if they had, not all made the most of it. MS Dhoni, who made way for Kohli earlier this year, may be the most successful Indian skipper in terms of victories but he could not quite capitalise on the skills of either of the three.
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi had the legendary spin quartet of left-arm orthodox Bishan Singh Bedi, leg-spinner BS Chandrashekhar, off-spinners Erapalli Prasanna and S Venkantraghavan, all of whom had their own unique style of bamboozling batsmen.
Mohammad Azharuddin had leggie Anil Kumble, off-spinner Rajesh Chauhan and classical left-arm spinner Venkatpathu Raju in the 1990s. The three were instrumental in India's many a victories including a 3-0 whitewash of England in 1992.
Post 1999, Sourav Ganguly had the magical pair of Kumble and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh who became one of the best spin duos in world cricket.
Now, Ashwin – who has become Kohli's main weapon – left-arm spinner Jadeja and leggie Mishra have become a dangerous combination for the opposition, especially at home. It's thus not a surprise that the three handed South Africa their first overseas Test series defeat in nine years in the ongoing series.
"Well it's a big plus," Kohli said of the luxury of having the three spinners. "Two out of the three guys are very consistent and Amit Mishra, for a leg-spinner, is very economical, which is not a regular sight. He is someone who knows his bowling, knows his variations and knows where to pitch the ball. It's a delight to have all three in the squad."
It's not just the viciously turning wickets that have given the Proteas severe headaches, but the skills of each of the spinners that brings the much-needed variety into this Indian attack.
If Ashwin is a classical spinner with handy variations – ask AB de Villiers – then Jadeja is an unorthodox left-arm spinner who bowls fast and flat, giving little time for the batsman to react. Mishra triples up as a typical leggie who believes in flighting the ball and also mixes it up with a dangerous googly and flipper. The trio is not just a worry for the opposition but also a treat for the eyes for fans who crave to watch some good spin bowling.
"All three bowling well in Indian conditions is obviously is an advantage (for India) and a threat for the opposition," Kohli said.
The skipper is also glad that Jadeja is doing well on his return after a 14-month exile from Test cricket.
"I am really happy for Jadeja because he is making a comeback. The way he has bowled, the way he has looked, confident with the bat as well, (it) shows that if you go back to first class cricket and you work hard to come up the right way again, things do fall in place," he said.
South African captain Hashim Amla can vouch for their skills. The rock of South Africa's batting line-up got out to some gems in the Test series. In the first Test in Mohali, Amla left a straight delivery from Jadeja anticipating it to turn way. In the second innings of the third Test, Mishra beat Amla's bat a few times before he turned a ball square. It kissed the outside edge of the South Africann skipper's bat to go straight to the hands of Kohli.
Ashwin's battle with AB in the second innings in Nagpur could go down as one of the most intriguing contests in Test history. The offie troubled him continuously with sharp incoming balls to open him up. Ashwin then delivered a carrom ball in the fourth attempt that struck the dashing batsman's pads. It was plumb before the wicket.
It's consistent and smart bowling like this that has given India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series. In the 50 South African wickets that India have taken over three Tests, the spinners have claimed 47 of those (Ashwin: 24, Jadeja: 16, Mishra: seven). Varun Aaron is the only seamer who has taken two wickets, the other being a run out.
"I am really happy for all three of them," Kohli said. "They are doing really well and I hope they continue the same way."
With India playing all their Tests at home over the next 12 months, Kohli's wish may well turn out to be true.
Indian spinners vs SA so far
Player Mat Ovs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ 5 10
R Ashwin 3 102 25 258 24 7/66 12/98 10.75 2.52 3 1
R Jadeja 3 82 21 16 5/21 8/76 12.06 2.32 1 -
A Mishra 2 43 5 121 7 3/51 4/60 17.28 2.81 - -
SHARE OF WICKETS THIS SERIES
Total SA wickets: 50
Ashwin: 24
Jadeja: 16
Mishra: 7
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