Ravindra Jadeja gave away 141 runs in 25 overs he bowled in NZ ODIs, without taking a single wicket.
Ashwin added that it's difficult to persuade him because his beliefs about bowling have become so entrenched as a result of his previous success.
Ravindra Jadeja is considered one of the all-time great all-rounders in the world and a world-class left-arm spinner. He is capable of bowling in the same area and making it either turn big or go straight.
On flatter tracks, however, where he needs slower speeds and more loops on the ball to get the turn and make things happen, this strength frequently works against him. Something similar happened to him in the recent ODI series against New Zealand, where he failed to pick a single wicket in three ODIs in 25 overs he bowled.
“Jadeja has particular strengths he believes in. He won’t do anything beyond his strengths. If you expect him to bowl slowly and bowl this way and that way, it is not going to happen. Because Jadeja will play within his strengths and within his limitations," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin further added that he has told Jadeja to bring slight variations in his bowling style and try to emulate greats like Bishan Bedi or follow Mitchell Santner, who gave the ball air and found spin even on dead pitches.
“But as a friend, I keep telling Jadeja, ‘What will happen if you try something different? If you try bowling like Bishan Bedi, Maninder Singh, or Mitchell Santner, what will happen? You might not perform, you might fail, or you might be dropped. But if you are being stubborn and fail, then also you might be dropped. If you try something new and fail, they are going to drop you, but if you try something new and if you perform well?’ So instead of thinking that if you overthink, something negative will happen, you overthink positively. Because Jadeja doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone beyond this. He is a lion; he is a king," Ashwin added.
According to Ashwin, Jadeja has always experimented more in the nets. He even bowled the carrom ball, which he seldom ever utilized at the international level under pressure.
The former spinner thinks that when Virat Kohli was under the most pressure, "playing without any worry" helped him build a compelling case for the 2027 World Cup. Jadeja is in the same situation. Jadeja was asked by Ashwin to follow Virat Kohli and play without pressure for the remainder of his career.
“I have been watching him bowl over the last four to five years. He would try the carrom ball in the nets, but he won’t bowl that in a match situation. He is extremely skillful. But expanding your bandwidth, yes, it is difficult because you have relied on your strengths for so long. I think if you let it go and play with joy, it will come. See what Virat Kohli is doing now. He is playing without any worry; he is playing like he is the king of his world. That is why he is performing like this," Ashwin concluded.
Jadeja is likely to be seen next in action in the IPL 2026 for the Rajasthan Royals. Since he retired from T20Is after India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win, Jadeja won’t feature in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.