Best Bowling Partnerships in Tests: Ravi Shastri Labels Ashwin-Jadeja as 'The Real Spin Twins'

Best Bowling Partnerships in Tests: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has labelled recently retired off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja as the "the real spin twins".

Ashwin-Jadeja pair eclipsed compatriots Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh's tally to claim most wickets by an Indian spin bowling pair in Test history earlier this year. The duo have bowled very well togerther, complementing each other.

Ashwin bowed out of his interantional career with 537 Test wickets to his name. Among those 537 scalps, the veteran off-spinner claimed 317 wickets bowling alongside Jadeja, who has taken 270 of his 319 wickets bowling with his senior compatriot.

The Ashwin-Jadeja duo combined to claim 587 wickets as a partnership in Test cricket. Their numbers see them finish as the sixth best bowling pair in the longest format, and the best bowling partnership among Indians as well as the second best among spin twins overall. Here is a look at the best bowling pairs:

Most Wickets by Bowling Pair in Tests

1039 wickets - Stuart Broad & James Anderson (England)
1001 wickets - Shane Warne & Glenn McGrath (Australia)
895 wickets - Muttiah Muralitharan & Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka)
762 wickets - Courtney Walsh & Curtly Ambrose (West Indies)
688 wickets - Mitchell Starc & Nathan Lyon (Australia)
587 wickets - R Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja (India)
559 wickets - Wasim Akram & Waqar Younis (Pakistan)
548 wickets - Nathan Lyon & Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
547 wickets - Shaun Pollock & Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
541 wickets - Tim Southee & Trent Boult (New Zealand)

Ashwin and Jadeja are the only spin pair to feature in the current top 10, and former India coach Shastri has said why the duo have done well as a pair over the years in the longest format of the game.

"When it came to bowling in the last four or five years, I think in India, along with (Ravindra) Jadeja, I think they were a terrific pair, the real spin twins," Shastri said as quoted by ICC.

The former India all-rounder explained how the spin pairing with Jadeja, meant that the duo supported each other in their quest for wickets.

"They complemented each other well and they spurred each other on you know so I would say a lot of Jadeja's wickets in the last you know five-six years have come because of Ashwin and vice-versa," Shastri added.

This could be seen in how Ashwin and Jadeja's average improves when they play together, dropping from 24 and 24.05 to 22.32 and 20.91 respectively. The duo's numbers see them finish only behind Sri Lanka legends Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya. Here is the top 5 spin pairs