Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has praised Ravindra Jadeja for bailing the Indian team out of a tough situation in the third Test against England. He added that the Indian team might have conceded a big first-innings lead had the all-rounder gotten out earlier. However, Jadeja scored 72 runs off 131 balls to help India equal England’s first-innings total of 387 on Day 3 as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Ravindra Jadeja had another chance to score a century, but it was missed. He was promoted in the batting order. He was sent as soon as Rishabh Pant got out to maintain a left-right combination, and more importantly, he continued from where he left off in the last Test match. He played very well in the last match too.”

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“He scored runs at the Edgbaston ground. It was an important contribution as you wanted to bat them out of the game, and that’s what the Indian team did. When he got to bat this time, I thought it was a very precarious situation. If a wicket had fallen there, and another wicket had fallen after that, we might have conceded a big lead,” he further added.

However, Aakash Chopra also stated that Ravindra Jadeja lived up to expectations after being promoted to No. 6 as well.

“Ravindra Jadeja’s batting prowess is now getting validated. It was repeatedly being said that he shouldn’t be made to bat below No. 7. You are making him bat at No. 6, which is actually a good thing, and he is living up to the billing in that. He always knew how to bat. He is not a mug with the bat. He has always been a good batter. In whichever format you saw him bat, he seemed like a competent batter. Somehow, he is at home in Test cricket. He may start slowly in ODIs and T20s. He needs time, and there is plenty of time in Test cricket,” Aakash Chopra concluded.