I was mentally ready to bat at number four: Jadeja
I was mentally ready to bat at number four: Jadeja. His promotion to number 4 in the batting order was a masterstroke from the teamwork, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who performed a crucial 29-ball 35 in India’s tense win over arch-rivals Pakistan, said on Tuesday that he was “mentally ready” for the challenge of his new position in the batting order.
In the match against Pakistan, Jadeja stepped out to bat after the previous two batters, opener KL Rahul and captain Rohit Sharma, had been dismissed for 0 and 12, respectively. He contributed 52 runs to the fifth wicket partnership with Hardik Pandya, who was not out at the time before the latter moved India past the target score of 149.
Declarations
“Of course (I should have seen it coming)… After watching them play XI, I was aware that a situation of this kind would eventually arise. I had prepared myself mentally. “Fortunately, I scored those critical runs for the team,” Jadeja said after India’s historic victory against Pakistan in the first match of the Asia Cup on Sunday. The match was won by five wickets.
“I was the only left-handed player in the top seven, and when left-arm spinners or leg-spinners are bowling, it’s often easy for a left-handed player to take chances.
“When I get out there, I basically play anything I feel like playing based on the situation. You don’t have much time to think while you’re playing Twenty20; you just have to go out there and show who you are. My only responsibilities are to drive in runs while I’m at bat and to make key contributions whenever they’re required. When asked if this (his batting at No. 4) is the way to move the team forward, Jadeja responded, “It depends on the situation and the bowlers the opposition sends out.”
Because both Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz spin the ball away from right-handed batters, Jadeja was brought in to counteract the spin bowling combination of Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz. After losing Rohit and Virat Kohli (35) for the addition of only three runs, India was 53/3 inside of 10 overs until Jadeja hauled them out of danger and brought them back on track. The move was successful.
Before he and Hardik put up the match-winning 52-run partnership, Jadeja reinforced India’s chase with a 36-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav (18) in the middle overs. This was before Jadeja and Hardik put on the partnership that won the match.
When asked what he and Hardik talked about during their turn at bat, he responded by saying, “India-Pakistan matchups are always high-pressure games.” You have very high standards for yourself.
Remarks
“I don’t think there was much to debate because situations of that nature frequently occur in the T20 format. Every single person contributed to the team by hitting, bowling, or catching. There was not a great deal to talk about and analyze.” Although neither he nor Yuzvendra Chahal took a wicket while bowling, Jadeja felt that they were successful in stopping the flow of runs. Jadeja’s stats were 2-0-11-0 and 4-0-32-0 respectively.
“Spinners also did well, but sometimes it’s not enough to gain wickets even if you do well. The T20 format is very similar to that. As a bowling unit, we fared well.
It was the result of everyone’s combined efforts. Spinners did not succeed in taking any wickets, but they did slow down the scoring of runs. “Those 15-20 runs proved to be absolutely necessary in the end,” he explained.
When asked about the final match of the group, which will take place on Wednesday against Hong Kong, a team that is competing to qualify for the tournament, Jadeja responded as follows: “We are going to play against Hong Kong with a positive mind attitude, and we will not take them lightly.”
Statements
“On any given day, anything is possible in Twenty20 Internationals. “We are going to play with a positive attitude and give it our all,” he stated.
There was speculation regarding Jadeja’s selection for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia following his disappointing performance in the Indian Premier League for the Chennai Super Kings.
When Jadeja was asked how he dealt with rumours of this nature, he responded, “Beech mein toh khabar aayi thi ki main marr gaya hoon! Ish se badi khabar toh ho hi nahi sakti… (There was a rumour going around that I had passed away; could it be anything more significant?) He was referring to the report that the 61-year-old former Saurashtra cricketer Rajendra Jadeja had passed away in May, when the India all-rounder was the subject of the “false news” that spread on social media.
“As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t think too much. It’s time for me to step up to the mic and deliver. I put a lot of effort into my practise sessions and focus on improving the areas of my game that need it the most. He came to the conclusion, “That’s all I do, day in and day out – bowling, batting, and fielding.”