The man from Saurashtra, despite his limited abilities, picked up six wickets, further raising the question if the Chennai tweaker is a good option overseas or only a home asset?
With New Zealand, another dry zone for spinners, being India's next assignment, it'll be interesting how Dhoni picks his attack while ensuring a seven-man batting order in far more alien conditions.
Unlike Indian conditions, where spinners tend to be effective sooner -- able to fetch a wicket in the first eight to nine overs, as Dhoni puts it -- wickets are far more flat and dry overseas, where patience is often the key.
"When you travel outside one thing the home team loves to do is make wickets that don't turn at all. The reason being that we don't have an all-rounder so we don't play with five specialist bowlers," says Dhoni.
On these flat tracks, he adds, if the ball doesn't turn, then runs are scored off the spinner which in turn puts pressure on the bowling captain. The idea is not allowing the batsmen to score three or four runs an over especially when the spinners are in attack. "In that respect, Jadeja's performance has been good," says Dhoni.
As the skipper puts it, it's high time already that Indian "spinners learn to accept that when they travel abroad, especially when they are bowling on Day One of a Test match, they have a different role. They need to have a bit more patience and not give them runs and that will ensure we build pressure from one end and when the ball turns, go for the kill."
Dhoni's looking at newcomer Stuart Binny to play a role too, if opportunity beckons. "He is an interesting options and looks like someone who's got swing. As of now, we know he is somebody who can swing the ball and has the ability to score runs down the order. It is exciting," he says.
India will do well here to take note of the 1-0 Test series win they enjoyed in New Zealand four years ago, with Harbhajan Singh bowling as many as 147.4 overs in five New Zealand innings to end the tour as the most successful bowler.
At an economy rate bordering on the right side of 3 per over, he was a revelation in that series, bowling effectively in conditions that remained most unhelpful. India played a three-man pace attack in all the three Tests and for Harbhajan to end up as the bowler with most wickets and the best average - bowling into the wind, mind you - is an effort India will do well to remember.
For a skipper whose fascination for all-rounders is a secret to the team combination he often prefers, Dhoni doesn't have the option of part-timers like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar any more either.
"Over the years we have lost part-timers who were as good as specialist bowlers in short spells," says Dhoni. In 2008-09, India's attack consisted of Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Tendulkar.
In 2014, half that arsenal has made way for newcomers. Ordinary but effective Jadeja or the risk-taking tweaker in Ashwin - who Dhoni opts for in his effort to also ensure a seven-batsmen lineup will be interesting to see in another tough away assignment.
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