On the first day of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Nagpur, the Indian bowlers bundled Sri Lanka out for 205, especially the spinners. Ravindra Jadeja after the day’s play acknowledged that there was no help from the pitch and the bowlers had to work hard for all the wickets.

Ishant Sharma brought the breakthrough for India and after his lively spell, spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja ran through the visitors’ middle-order.

While Ashwin took four wickets, Jadeja managed to take three as the hosts bowled out Sri Lanka cheaply. Expressing satisfaction with his efforts, Jadeja said, “I was very happy as to how I bowled today. There was no help from the wicket and I was looking to bowl in right areas.”

The southpaw added that as the track was not assisting the bowlers, Ashwin tried different angles and managed to get the precious wicket of Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal. He said, “If there is nothing in the wicket for spinners, then it’s good to try something different. Over the wicket or round the wicket, just try and create chances. That’s what he was doing.”

Comparing the Nagpur and Kolkata pitch, Jadeja said, “There was a lot of help from the wicket there (Kolkata) so you guys must have felt that every ball will yield a wicket but that was not the case here because this wicket had grass but not the bounce or swing or the overcast conditions of Kolkata. That’s why we did not get much help but the two (Ishant and Yadav) bowled well in the first session.”

When asked about the first choice spinner in the away series against South Africa next year, Jadeja joking replied, “If I am the captain, I will not even give the ball to anyone (laughs). I will keep bowling from one end.  I can only control the controllable. When I get an opportunity, I will try to do well. What is not in my control, there is no point thinking about it. When I get a chance to play in South Africa, I will try to do well.”