In this series, Jadeja has scored four fifties or more in a row, in both innings of the Edgbaston and Lords Tests.
India lost the third Test against England at Lord’s by 22 runs while chasing 193 on the final day. Ravindra Jadeja remained not out on 61 from 181 balls, but India were bowled out for 170. After the match, some people criticised Jadeja for batting too slowly, especially when he was with the last few batters like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
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But veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara supported Jadeja. Speaking to Indian Express, Pujara said Jadeja did the right thing and the criticism was not fair.
Pujara explained that the pitch was slow and the ball was soft, which made it very difficult to score quickly. He felt Jadeja trusted the lower order batters and tried to stay till the end. He believed Jadeja would have taken more risks once India got closer to the target.
“He couldn’t have scored faster on that track. I felt that it was because the ball was soft, and the pitch was on the slower side. I guess, Jadeja would have thought that the tailenders were batting well and the team was getting close to the total. And once they were a little closer he would have taken his chances,” Pujara said.
Jadeja came to bat when India were in trouble at 71 for five, still needing 122 more runs. He built useful partnerships with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. These small stands helped India get close. At one point, they needed just 23 more runs with two wickets left.
Pujara also praised Jadeja for improving his batting in the last few years. Pujara said Jadeja works hard and always trains, even on match days. He pointed out that Jadeja has become better at facing fast bowling, especially in matches outside India.
“For the last five years, he has improved, especially abroad. He has been working hard. If you notice, even on the match day, he does his net practice. He has shown improvement when playing pace,” he added.
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Pujara pointed out that Jadeja has scored two triple centuries in domestic cricket, which shows his ability to play big innings. He said that earlier, Jadeja often got good starts in international cricket but could not turn them into big scores. But now, he has improved. In this series, Jadeja has scored four fifties or more in a row, in both innings of the Edgbaston and Lord’s Tests.
“Earlier, it was the case of him not converting his good starts to big scores at the highest level. See, one can’t get 300 in first-class cricket without skills. But you need to convert, like you do at first-class level, at international level,” the veteran said.
The fourth Test will start on July 23 in Manchester. India will try to make a strong comeback, and Jadeja will have an important role with both bat and ball.
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