“His batting in Tests has gone to a different level” - Sanjay Manjrekar hails Ravindra Jadeja
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has praised all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the significant improvement in his batting in Test cricket in recent years. According to Manjrekar, the southpaw's batting in red-ball cricket for India has gone to a different level.
Jadeja top-scored for India on Day 2 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final on Thursday with a 48-run knock off 51 balls. Responding to Australia’s first innings total of 469, India were in trouble at 71/4. A fifth-wicket stand of 71 between Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane (29* off 71) gave the innings a semblance of respectability.
India ended Day 2 at 151/5, with Jadeja being dismissed a few overs before the close of play.
Reflecting on the all-rounder’s batting effort, Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo:
“He [Jadeja] was very upset when he got out. [It] shows the kind of expectations that he has from himself. His batting in Tests has gone to a different level. He has this confidence to keep leaving balls outside the off stump. This is a guy who has got the confidence now and it’s amazing how much it transforms a player. Consistency is the ultimate yardstick to judge a good performer and that is what you see with Jadeja.
“Yet another vital innings against the odds in a tough situation, like the last time he was in England in that one-off Test match with Rishabh Pant. He’s again given India the runs, maybe not enough, but he’s shown his value. He's batting at No. 6 like a proper batter now.”
Since the start of 2022, Jadeja has played eight Tests in which he has scored 511 runs at an average of 51.10, with two hundreds.
“He only had an attacking mindset” - Brad Haddin reviews Lyon’s dismissal of Jadeja
Jadeja was looking good for a big score when he poked at a flighted delivery from Nathan Lyon outside off stump and nicked the ball to slip.
While analyzing the dismissal, former Aussie keeper-better Brad Haddin hinted that India missed Ravichandran Ashwin and commented:
“Where Nathan Lyon and Ashwin are exactly the same is that you’ve got two bowlers in one. They can hold an end up and build pressure if there is a partnership going or they can attack when the opportunity arises. That is exactly what Nathan Lyon did.
"He was brought on to get the wicket of the left-hander. He only had an attacking mindset and he did his job quickly. He was able to come on and be used as an attacking weapon and not a holding weapon, which is a big difference in the two teams.”
Apart from Lyon, all four Australian pacers claimed one wicket each as Pat Cummins and co. continued their domination in the WTC final.