IND vs WI | Had to play till the end for India, reveals Ravindra Jadeja

12/23/2019

Ravindra Jadeja, following the decider in Cuttack, has admitted that it was his role to play till the end for the Indian team following Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the game. Further, Jadeja revealed that it was a good batting wicket and Kohli told him to play normal cricketing shots, nothing silly.

It was a do-or-die moment for India in the series against the Windies. After going 1-0 down in the series, the team put up a dominant display in Vizag to swing the momentum in their favour. In the series decider in Cuttack, India were chasing and always favourites with the dew playing a huge role. Two people who turned heroes on the night were Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur.

The duo put on a match-winning partnership following skipper Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the 47th over of the innings. While Jadeja kept the run-rate ticking, Thakur exploded in the 48th over against Sheldon Cottrell, scoring 15 runs in the over. With India needing only 7 runs, Jadeja scored a boundary and hit the winning run for India. In the post-match press conference, the spinner admitted that dew played a huge factor in the second innings, with the Windies bowlers not able to grip the ball properly during India’s run chase with a lightning-fast outfield.

“It was a good wicket to bat on, we needed to play according to the merit of the ball. The last 10 overs were very tough for the bowlers because of the dew. And the outfield was fast,” said Jadeja, reported PTI.

Further, the all-rounder admitted that Virat Kohli had told him not to try anything crazy and to play normal cricketing shots. With Thakur walking out to bat, it was important to hold up one end of the crease.

“Virat told me that I should keep playing normal cricketing shots and not do anything silly. After Virat got out, I knew I needed to play till the end. When Shardul (Thakur) came in, I told him it was a good wicket to bat on and he also thought the same way.”

Jadeja revealed that the target of 316 set by the Windies was not enough due to the dew factor in the second innings. He felt that the bowlers had done extremely well to restrict the visitors to a total under 350 in the first innings.

“It was not a big target to chase on this pitch as the dew factor played a big role. Maybe 340 would have been a stiffer one,” he concluded.