If Rishabh Pant was India's savior, Ravindra Jadeja was the perfect foil to the Uttarakhand-born wicketkeeper batter as both men went on to score centuries in the fifth and the final Test of the series between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham. While Rishabh Pant exploded to smash a scintillating 146 off 111 balls on Day 1, Ravindra Jadeja completed his ton on Saturday, powering India to 416 in their first innings. Ravindra Jadeja's knock of 104 once again proved why he's regarded as one of the best all-rounders in Test cricket. At the same time, the Saurashtra-born southpaw also showed to the world that he had transformed himself into an accomplished batter in the longest format of the game. And it was his lethal combination with Rishabh Pant which took India out of a precarious position as the visitors were reeling at 98/5. After the end of play on Day 2, Ravindra Jadeja revealed what was going on in his mind when he was out there in the middle. In the process, took a dig at England fast bowler James Anderson who had claimed that the southpaw looked like a proper batter because he was now thinking like one.
Ravindra Jadeja's celebration after scoring hundred at Edgbaston, Birmingham! pic.twitter.com/bbt4rw2tvl
— MS Dhoni ❤️ #IPL2023 (@CricCrazySubs) July 2, 2022
“In the past he was coming at 8, bat with the tail so he had to chance his arm a little bit, whereas now at 7 he can bat like a proper batter. He leaves really well and made it difficult for us,” Ravindra Jadeja said in a press conference on Saturday.
“See, when you score runs, everyone says they think of themselves as a proper batter. But I've always tried to give myself time at the crease, to set a partnership with whoever is at the crease, to play with him. It's nice Anderson has realized that after 2014,” Ravindra Jadeja said about James Anderson's remarks.
Ravindra Jadeja and James Anderson don't share the best of bonds in cricket. Back in 2014, the two cricketers had an altercation and the management of both teams lodged complaints against each other.
While the Indian camp said that James Anderson had verbally abused and shoved Ravindra Jadeja, the English team denied the charges. Eventually, the ICC was forced to intervene in the matter as the governing body charged the England icon with a Level 3 offense.
“In England you have play close to the body. The ball swings here so if you look to play the cover- or square-drive there is a chance you can edge to the cordon. My focus was to initially not play at too many balls outside off-stump. When the cover or point is vacant there is a temptation to hit the ball through that area for a boundary, but then you can get out in the slips. My thought was only to hit the ball that was really close to me and to hit it straight. Luckily, all the balls that I picked were in my areas and converted them into boundaries. If you know where your off-stump is, then you can leave the balls outside that line,” Ravindra Jadeja further said about his innings in Birmingham.
Ravindra Jadeja also praised his main batting partner Rishabh Pant with whom he was involved in a massive 222-run stand that changed the entire complexion of the match.
“A little pressure goes off because he's hitting every bowler in the same way. He wasn't leaving anyone alone. At the non-striker's end, it feels good because they then don't focus too much on me. But as a batsman you still have to come to England and concentrate and focus because it is never easy here. You're playing on 50 or 70 and you can get a good ball anytime. Me and Rishabh were talking about this, that we just try and put on a long partnership. When I came to bat, we had to take the team to a good position and really had to put some effort in. Hopefully we've put a good total on the board,” Ravindra Jadeja pointed out.
The Indians were in command at the end of play on Day 2 with England struggling at 84/5 in response to the visiting team's 416.
Other than Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja's centuries, Jasprit Bumrah was the star for India.
Jasprit Bumrah scripted several records on Day 2 as he smashed 29 runs off Stuart Broad in a single over, breaking Brian Lara's long-standing world record.
19 years ago in December 2003, Brian Lara plundered 28 runs off South African left-arm tweaker Robin Peterson in a Test match against the Proteas at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
Jasprit Bumrah, however, wasn't done for the day as after his world record-breaking performance with the bat, he led from the front with the ball too.
Jasprit Bumrah sent both England openers Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, and No.3 Ollie Pope back to the pavilion early, putting the home team on the backfoot with their score reading 44/3 at one point.
Nonetheless, the Ben Stokes-led side finished the day at 84/5 with the dangerman Joe Root back in the hut.
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