St John's (Antigua and Barbuda), Aug 24: After scoring a half-century against West Indieson day two of India's ongoing first Test here, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said that he focused on building partnerships and give his best.
After being sent in to bat, India were in a spot of bother at 189/6, but Jadeja stayed out there in the middle with the tailenders to propel India to 297 runs in the first innings. The left-hander went on to play a knock of 58 runs.
"When I was batting out there in the middle, I just looked to build a partnership. I was focussing to play with the tailenders. I was just worried about my game, I was trying to give my best out on the park," Jadeja told reporters after the close of play on Friday.
Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant was not able to stay at the crease for a long time. Ishant Sharma came in to bat next and stitched a 60-run stand with Jadeja, providing India much-needed relief.
Jadeja said that he kept egging on Ishant to fight it out.
"I just looked to build a partnership. When Rishabh got out, I was talking to Ishant about staying out in the middle and building a partnership. We were thinking about one over at a time," Jadeja said.
"It is not good for opponents if the lower order is constantly scoring runs, so it was the game-plan from our side," he added.
Jadeja was chosen over spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the first Test. Many former cricketers have criticised the decision of leaving out Ashwin.
Jadeja said that a player feels good when he knows he has the backing of the skipper.
"Obviously you feel good when the skipper believes in you, thinks of you as the main player. Luckily, I have been able to repay the faith by performing well," Jadeja said.
When India came out to bowl, Ishant was the trump card for skipper Virat Kohli. Ishant bowled with a good line and length, which earned him a five-wicket haul and left West Indies reeling at 189/8.
"Ishant bowled well. The two caught and bowled were remarkable, and I believe those two dismissals were the turning point," Jadeja said.
"On this wicket, you have to bowl in the right areas. Ishant's rhythm improved with each over he bowled. If he did not hold on to two return catches, the situation might have been different. Those two dismissals helped us in turning the momentum on our side," he added.
Jadeja also gave his views on the condition of the pitch in Antigua.
"I talked to both Ishant and (Jasprit) Bumrah. We knew if we kept believing in our defence and technique, then we can stay out in the middle. The wicket has bounce and the ball was also moving around. As the game has progressed, the wicket has settled down, but the bounce is still there and it is helping the fast bowlers," Jadeja said.
West Indies will resume day three still 108 runs behind India.
Comments
Add new comment