Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja got his first chance in the ongoing five-match Test series against England in the final match at The Oval Test as he was benched because of the fact that India chose seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya and R Ashwin as the lone spinner overseas.
On Friday, Jadeja got into the playing XI in the absence of the injured Ashwin with Pandya dropped. He held one end up beautifully on a first-day pitch to allow India’s pace trio Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to reduce England to 198/7 from a commanding position of 131/1 with a sensational bowling in the final session of the first day.
Jaddu got the breakthrough for India as he dismissed the English opener Keaton Jennings caught in the leg trap. Recalling the same during the press conference after the stumps on Day 1, he said, “It’s difficult when you’re not getting any help from the wicket on Day 1. The ball you’re actually trying to bowl…it’s not coming out that way. I was just thinking that Shami, Ishant, and Bumrah were bowling well from the other end. I was just thinking that I shouldn’t concede boundaries because if that pressure is released at one end, it becomes easy for the batsmen.”
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He further added, “We didn’t get any wickets in the second session but we didn’t concede many runs either (55 runs between lunch and tea). We came back well. Everyone did their job in the bowling department.”
Jadeja used his pace variation aptly, and he demonstrated on Friday what India missed on a wearing track in the fourth Test defeat at Southampton. He was vital in England losing six wickets for 65 runs in the evening session. Dismissing Ben Stokes was vital in pegging the scoring.
Describing the wicket, the southpaw said, “The way we’d set the field — bringing square-leg up, pushing deep mid-wicket wide — and with the ball not spinning much off the pitch, we knew sooner or later he would try the sweep shot. Actually, I’d spotted that he was already getting down (to sweep). So I bowled a full ball. And he didn’t know if he should sweep or not and the bat didn’t come out at all. It was a good wicket. Everyone bowled well. Especially when the partnership between Moeen Ali and Alastair Cook was on (73 in 40.1 overs), our plan was that if they didn’t get boundaries, they’d panic and play wrong shots and get out. And that’s exactly what happened.”
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In 2017, in the Champions Trophy, Jadeja didn’t have the best of times at the Oval he terribly failed to perform against Pakistan in the crucial game. That performance resulted in his exit from India’s limited-overs squad. However, the last time Jadeja faced England, his seven-wicket haul in the second innings helped India register a big win at Chennai in 2016. He has played 11 Tests since then, taking 60 wickets, but in away Tests, Ashwin has played as the lone spinner.
Talking about the same, Jaddu concluded, “For me, the biggest thing is that I am playing for India, and maybe if I do well, I will be back playing all three formats of the game soon enough. When you are playing just one format it is very tough because there is too much gap between matches and the experience you need to play at the international level is less. So you have to keep motivating yourself, that whenever you get a chance, like in this game, whatever ability I have, I have to give my best on the field.”
