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Former India batter Ajay Jadeja made stunning comments on regular skipper Rohit Sharma, declaring that he should stay at home to allow Shubman Gill to open the innings in the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka next week.
Ajay Jadeja's remarks came after India's 188-run victory over Bangladesh in the first Test in Chattogram in which Rohit Sharma didn't take part due to a thumb injury he suffered during the three-match ODI series against the same team.
In Rohit Sharma's absence, young Shubman Gill took his place in the team and struck his maiden Test hundred in the second innings, contributing heavily to India's triumph in the first game of the two-match series.
After watching Shubman Gill's splendid knock in Chattogram, Ajay Jadeja opined that Rohit Sharma shouldn't disturb the opening partnership between him and KL Rahul and instead should prolong his injury-forced break.
“Tabhi toh bol raha hu Rohit ko bolo ghar me baithne ke liye (That is why I suggest Rohit should stay at home). When a player suffers a hand fracture and you cannot hold the bat for about 10 days, even if you recover, you cannot really join the team the very next day. It takes another 1- to 15 days. And we don't even know the extent of the injury yet. That is why I suggest this. We are looking for a temporary solution and this is the best solution for it,” Ajay Jadeja said on Sony Sports.
Coming back to the first Test in Chattogram, India completed a comprehensive win over the home team on Sunday after left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav‘s two wickets helped them bowl them out for 324.
Stand-in skipper KL Rahul was extremely pleased with his side's overall performance.
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“That's Test cricket: you are never going to get a victory that's going to be easy,” KL Rahul said. “We know that. We have played enough Test cricket to understand that there will be phases where the opposition also plays well. We need to respect that, and keep doing our job. I am very proud of that.
“Throughout the Test match our energy and intensity has been really high, and we have maintained it throughout the day. Throughout the last five days we have shown great commitment towards the team. We haven't played Test cricket in a while, so there was some worry coming into the Test match about how the bodies would react and how we would be able to manage being on the park for so long, and maintain our focus and intensity. We did that really well, and that is pleasing,” he added.
“At this level players are naturally very motivated,” he said. “We are playing for our country; we have worked really hard since we were kids to get here. Yes sometimes when you are in and out of the team and you don't get too many opportunities. It is natural to feel down and feel not confident enough. But as a group, as a team, we always try to make everyone feel comfortable in the group. The talk is always about what the team needs, and not about individuals,” KL Rahul elaborated.
“Whether you have played 50 Test matches or whether it is your first or second, it doesn't matter. We always try to see what the team needs and what we need to win a game of cricket. They play enough cricket. I know they may not have played enough international cricket, but back home, first-class cricket, IPL and India A – there is a lot of cricket happening. So everybody is playing enough cricket,” he noted.
“When they come into Indian team, they come in with enough games behind them. That helps them perform really well. You give them the platform, give them a bit of confidence. They have the quality, and that is why they are here. And they perform really well,” the stand-in India captain explained.
“The first-innings bowling gave us a lot of time in the Test,” Rahul said. “If Bangladesh had gone on to get 300-350, this game was headed towards a draw. We would have tried to make a game out of it, we would have tried to give ourselves a chance, but it would have been really hard.”
“Once you bundle a team out for 150, it gives you a lot of time. We could bat another 50-60 overs, score some quick runs, put them into bat again for two days and a bit. That gave us the time to get them out,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav who was adjudged the Man of the Match for his haul of 8/113 during the game was delighted with his performance.
“Happy with my performance, both with bat and ball. In the first innings, the wicket was quicker than in the first. I was bowling quicker in the second innings. Probably more revs on the ball makes batsmen step down, and plenty of variation as well. That makes it difficult for batsmen to pick which one is to come,” Kuldeep Yadav said in the post-match presentation.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan blamed his batters, especially their disappointing display in their first innings for the defeat.
“It was a good wicket to bat on, but we didn't bat well [in the first innings]. There should be no excuse. Lot of credit to India, as they created pressure. Zakir has been scoring lots of runs in domestic cricket. Hopefully many more hundreds to come,” Shakib Al Hasan concluded.
The second Test between India and Bangladesh will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium from December 22.
