Ravindra Jadeja is slowly becoming one of India's most important Test cricketers.
Jadeja has had quite a journey becoming the Test cricketer he is today, playing most of the early part of his career under the shadow of Ravichandran Ashwin, whom he earlier this year leapfrogged in the pecking order after the ace off-spinner came back from long hiatus due to injury.
"It depends on the combination," Herath told Mid-Day. "When you are playing in the sub-continent, he might get a chance. But when you are playing outside India, it is not easy to bring that combination [of two spinners]."
"At some stage, maybe [Ravichandran] Ashwin is playing or Kuldeep Yadav is bowling. It depends on the situation and conditions. If you consider his batting and fielding, he is one of the fittest guys in the team. I have a lot of admiration for Jadeja."
After retiring with 433 Test wickets last year, Herath knows a thing or two why left-arm spinners tend to enjoy greater success in the subcontinent. "When it comes to the longer format, I believe that left-arm spinners have more chances of playing especially in the sub-continent," he said. "When you go to countries like Australia or even South Africa for that matter, you cannot expect the conditions to be like in the sub-continent. If a spinner is smart, he can capitalise. Those who are smart have long careers."
Even with the advancement of wrist-spinners especially in the limited-overs game, the 41-year-old reckons teams shall still look for a good mix of all skills. "It is important to have the [right] combination," he said. "Wrist spinners are more in demand because a lot of coaches and team managements think they are a wicket-taking options."
"Most of the wrist spinners are around in the shorter format game. They might bowl a few bad balls, but they still threaten to take wickets. At the same time, if you have finger spinners with good accuracy, you can have a good combination," Herath concluded.
(Inputs from Mid-Day)