IND vs AUS | Sydney pitch is a tailor-made wicket for Ravindra Jadeja, reckons Parthiv Patel

At 206/2, Australia were in a prime fashion to take their total well above the 400 run mark, leaving a huge mountain for the visitors to climb, with Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith at the crease on a flat Sydney deck. However, the introduction of Ravindra Jadeja, in his second spell, changed the course of the game with the left-arm spinner accounting for a well-set Labuschagne before dismissing Matthew Wade in quick time.

Alongside that, Jadeja’s indifferent bounce with his pace as a spinner made it difficult for the Australians to handle. While they succumbed to his spin bowling, Steve Smith stood the testing times before he was undone by a flash of brilliance from Jadeja in the field. It saw former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel reckon that the pitch is tailor-made for the left-arm spinner. 

“Of course, he’s a big player, just look at his contribution. If you look at him in the last Test, he bowled impressively and picked up two crucial wickets for the team. With the bat also, he had a match-winning partnership with Ajinkya Rahane. Alongside that, in the field too, he picked up the crucial wicket of Matthew Wade in the last Test. Today too, on a slow wicket, he was right there, it was a tailor-made wicket for him,” Parthiv told Cricbuzz. 

Parthiv also noted how Jadeja’s ability as a fifth-bowler was quintessential to the pacers getting ample rest in between his overs. He also added that it was evident when Saini accounted for Starc with his raw pace.

“This run-out has reduced 20-30 runs for India and he had only one stump to aim, he was possibly the only player from both the teams to affect such a run-out. The fifth bowler is very important. If you look at the load for the bowlers, it is evident that a fifth bowler is a necessity. Navdeep Saini also got a rest only because Jadeja was there and his ball to bounce out Starc was a result of him getting enough rest. He gels in with everything,” he added. 

The former Indian wicketkeeper also was in awe of Jadeja’s abilities to influence a game, stating that having the all-rounder would essentially mean that India play with 12 players, with his ability to change the course of any fixture. He cited the left-hander’s knock in the Melbourne Test alongside his bowling as one of the key reasons for India’s victory. 

“With Jadeja in the playing XI, you can bring in an extra batsman or an extra bowler, something that is very vital in these conditions. If you have Jadeja kind of player, you enter the stadium with 12 players, he’s very key to this setup. One of the major reasons for the Melbourne win was his partnership with Rahane and how bowling. Today too, he was helpful in reducing Australia to 350 and was right on point every single time he came to bowl. He adds a lot to the team and Jadeja seals the case for playing 5 bowlers overseas too."