Ravindra Jadeja Calls 14th 5-Wicket Haul ‘Special Effort’: ‘Wasn’t Easy To Bowl In The Heat’ – News18

Last Updated:November 01, 2024, 18:20 IST

Ravindra Jadeja moved ahead of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma to climb to the fifth spot in the list of highest wicket-takers for India in Tests.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said he is happy with another five-wicket haul in Test cricket but conceded that in sultry conditions on a slow turner, bowling indeed was hard work.

Jadeja’s 14th five-wicket haul came after a brief period of lull as he looked menacing while mixing deliveries, pitching it on good length spots and letting the variable bounce and abrasive surface work in his favour.

However, Jadeja’s assessment of the track was also an indicator that possibly Ravichandran Ashwin has lost a bit of pace in his deliveries as it required more shoulder effort to get the zip off the surface.

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“I thought you need to mix and match (in terms of speed). The wicket has bounce but off the surface, the ball isn’t taking off. Unless you put in a lot of shoulders and get the revs, it is difficult,” Jadeja was quoted saying on Jio Cinema.

“It was a special effort as it wasn’t no easy to bowl in this heat. Even Washy (Washington Sundar) bowled well and everyone played their roles to perfection. Now our batters will need to perform collectively,” Jadeja said.

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When asked if he knew that he got past Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma (both 311 wickets), the 35-year-old said that he only checks stats when a series is not on and he is at home.

“I didn’t know that. I look at the stats when I am not playing. Good that I’m progressing and taking wickets,” he said.

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About losing three wickets in a jiffy during the final half an hour, Jadeja said first target on Saturday would be to bat well enough get 150 runs which will give them first innings lead.

“It was unexpected, miscommunication and misjudgement happens. We are 150 runs behind, small partnerships to take the team’s total over 230 will be our game-plan,” he said.

(With inputs from Agencies)