India's Ravindra Jadeja kisses his helmet after scoring a century during the second day of the first test match between India and Sri Lanka in Mohali, India
Ravindra Jadeja could have easily gone on to make a double hundred against Sri Lanka on Saturday but the Indian all-rounder sent a message asking for declaration as he wanted his side to exploit the variable bounce and turn on offer.
Jadeja scored a career-best 175 in India's 574 for 8 declared and Sri Lanka then were left tottering at 108 for 4 at the end of the second day's play. While there was a buzz that Jadeja should have been given a chance to go for a double, the cricketer insisted that it was an ideal time to declare giving the opposition a session under difficult circumstances.
"I also told them that there is variable bounce and deliveries have started turning. So I sent a message that there is something on offer from the strip and I suggested that we should put them in to bat now itself. They were already tired fielding for nearly quarter to two days (five sessions)," Jadeja, who also picked up rival skipper Dimuth Karunaratne's wicket, said after the second day's play. Since they were tired, it was not easy to play the big shots straightaway and bat for long hours. So the plan was to declare quickly and exploit the fatigue of the opposition batters," he further explained.
In fact, the up and down nature of the track helped him remove Karunaratne, who has been a prolific performer in 2021 and a part of ICC's Test Team of the Year.
"When I was batting, there were some deliveries that turned and some kept low. There was natural variation off the surface and that was the plan. To keep the ball on the stumps and if we keep it on stumps, it can go straight or also turn from the same spot, and that's what happened. My first ball (to Karunaratne) turned and the second ball I thought that I will bowl on the fourth stump and if it turns or stays low, there was always a chance of getting a wicket."
On his big hundred, Jadeja spoke about his mindset of trying to improve every time he plays for India.
"I look to improve my game every single time I play for India. When I get an opportunity to score runs, I look to implement that opportunity in performance and so yeah, all in all, I am very much happy," he said.
While he has three triple hundreds for Saurashtra in Ranji Trophy, Jadeja has no issues batting at No.7 in the national set-up and also praised Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami, all of whom were involved in three hundred-plus stands.
"I used to bat at No.4 for Saurashtra so I had a lot of time to build my innings but here I bat No.7 but Rishabh, Ashwin and Shami all three supported me," he said. "As a batter, I give myself time in shot selection and I select my shot after analysing the behaviour of the strip."
His improved batsmanship at the Test level has a lot to do with his calm demeanour. "The mindset needs to change in international cricket and I try to stay calm in pressure situations so that I can maximise my ability and play my natural game."
