"Teams seeing him come out at No.6 or 7 will be on the back foot" - Daniel Vettori, Wasim Jaffer hail Ravindra Jadeja after 50 in 1st India vs New Zealand Test
Daniel Vettori and Wasim Jaffer showered rich praise on Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his game-changing half-century in Kanpur on Thursday.
After opting to bat first, India put up a hefty 258-4 on Day 1 of the first Test against New Zealand. The innings could have gone anywhere when Ravindra Jadeja stepped out in the middle at 145-4. But the 32-year-old, as he often does, diffused the situation initially before teeing off with regular boundaries to collect a 50* (100)
Daniel Vettori and Wasim Jaffer, in a chat on ESPNcricinfo, were asked whether India should look to promote Ravindra Jadeja as a permanent top-six batter, even when Rishabh Pant returns to the setup.
The former Kiwi spinner replied positively, saying Ravindra Jadeja has shown "some real batsmanship" of late. He stressed that all teams seeing him coming to bat in the lower order will be on the backfoot considering his ability to be swashbuckling and even-kneeled according to the situation. Vettori said:
"I think I do... It's because of the style that he's playing. I think it's always been the [common] knowledge that Jadeja is so talented but the style of the last year of Test match batting has shown that he has some real batsmanship. It isn't just about scoring quickly, he assesses the situations as well as anyone now and he plays a role. I think a lot of teams see him come out at 6 or 7 and are going to be on the back foot because he'll be swashbuckling and he's going to take the game on. "
Wasim Jaffer wasn't as confident as Daniel Vettori on the subject. The erstwhile opener said he'll consider the 'risk' on batting-friendly wickets, but will stay away if the wicket has help on offer for bowlers. Jaffer argued:
"It depends on where we are playing. If the conditions are a little bit bowler-friendly then I would doubt that. But if the conditions are going to get easier to bat from Day 2, Day 3 then you can risk it because he has proved he can bat and score runs and he does that consistently. It's not like he scores runs just once in a series, he does it quite consistently so India can think of it when the conditions are right."
Ravindra Jadeja brings up his fifty 🙌
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India have been mulling promoting Ravindra Jadeja for quite some time now. Seeing his outstanding form in England earlier in the year, he was even sent ahead of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane in the batting order. It will be intriguing to see if the management takes that punt again, especially given Rahane's inability to break his lean patch.
"Ravindra Jadeja's weight is worth in gold" - Wasim Jaffer
A good day at the office for #TeamIndia 🙌
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While Wasim Jaffer didn't entirely agree with Ravindra Jadeja's promotion, he was all praise for the southpaw's performance on Thursday, saying his "weight is worth in gold". He even went ahead to call Jadeja India's best all-rounder.
Jaffer added:
"His weight is worth in gold. Even overseas, you know Virat Kohli prefers him over Ashwin just because he gives that control with the ball and he can be very, very deceptive when Day 3, Day 4, Day 5 come in. And his contribution with the bat is so consistent and that is the reason why he sometimes plays in front of Ashwin. This partnership proves it again - in India, definitely, he's our No.1 all-rounder."
India will look to go through the first session as New Zealand will throw everything they have on the hosts when Day 2 kicks off at 9:30 AM IST tomorrow.