"Virat Kohli might be praying that such clarity comes in his game" - Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Ravindra Jadeja's knock in 5th India vs England Test

Ravindra Jadeja was largely untroubled throughout his innings

Sanjay Manjrekar feels Virat Kohli might be longing for the same clarity that Ravindra Jadeja has in his batting at the moment.

Jadeja scored 104 runs off 194 deliveries in India's first innings of the ongoing fifth and final Test against England. His knock, along with Rishabh Pant's blazing century, helped Jasprit Bumrah's side post a massive 416-run total on the board.

Ravindra Jadeja gets included in the honours list at Edgbaston 😍🇮🇳

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While reflecting on the second day's play during a discussion on Sony Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted the clarity of shot-selection Ravindra Jadeja displayed in the middle, elaborating:

"In this innings, we saw the Hawkeye, where he (Jadeja) was leaving the balls even slightly outside the off-stump, was playing them when it was close to off-stump and driving the pitched-up deliveries. Virat Kohli might be praying that such clarity comes in his game, today Jadeja has that."

The former Indian batter pointed out that the spin-bowling all-rounder has incorporated discipline into his game to complement the talent he already possesses. Manjrekar observed:

"Nowadays he has got the belief that he can bat for two hours. It is a hallmark of an in-form batter whose mind is absolutely clear. People want this clarity to be there with them for their lifetime. These things work in auto-pilot when a batter is in form. Talent was always there, the discipline has come now."

Jadeja meticulously planned his innings while Pant went hammer and tongs at the other end. He was content in allowing the dashing wicketkeeper-batter to hog the limelight and did not try to match him stroke for stroke.

"Both their numbers are similar" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Ravindra Jadeja's competition with Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravindra Jadeja's consistent performances with the bat have given him the edge over Ravichandran Ashwin

Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted that Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have similar numbers with the ball in both home and away conditions. He observed:

"When Test matches were played at home, two spinners used to play - Ashwin and Jadeja, and Ashwin used to get a lot of name but when Jadeja and Ashwin played together on turning pitches in India, both their numbers are similar. It is the same in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) as well."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Jadeja has stolen a march over Ashwin in overseas conditions due to his prowess with the bat. Manjrekar said:

"So when you get set in one area, you know that you are not going to go out of this team. When you have to play just one spinner overseas, you have been given the chance because of your batting."

Ravindra Jadeja has a difference of 21.33 between his Test batting and bowling averages since 2018.

Only four other players have a positive difference in the two departments in this period (min. 50 wickets):

Jason Holder: 10.42
Ben Stokes: 4.93
Kyle Jamieson: 0.12

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Jadeja has amassed 1652 runs at an impressive average of 45.88 in the 35 Tests he has played since the beginning of 2017. In the same period, Ashwin has aggregated 1115 runs at a much lower average of 19.56 in the 42 Tests he has played.