"We have often seen a partnership after the 5th wicket falls" - Wasim Jaffer wary of Jonny Bairstow-Ben Stokes duo in IND vs ENG Test
Wasim Jaffer has advised India to be wary of England's sixth-wicket partnership in the ongoing Edgbaston Test. He feels that while the visitors "dominated" Day 2, they'll need to get rid of Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow to gain complete control.
England ended the day at 84-5 and still trail India by 332 runs. Bairstow and Stokes rescued and won England matches from similar situations in the recent series against New Zealand. They've been the trailblazers of the hosts' aggressive batting strategy under new coach Brendon McCullum and might try to hit their way out of trouble on Day 3 as well.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo on Saturday, Jaffer hailed Ravindra Jadeja and India's bowling unit, while urging them to focus on the next stage. He said:
"India was definitely in the driving seat on the first day. After that, the way they started today, how Ravindra Jadeja scored his century, took the score to 400, ... the way they bowled and most importantly got the wicket of Joe Root - we have to say India dominated the second day as well.
"But we have often seen a partnership after the fifth wicket falls, India will have to stop that in the morning. This partnership between Bairstow and Stokes is very important. If these wickets fall quickly, India will be in control."
Watch Today at the Test on @BBCiPlayer and BBC FourBen Stokes and Jonny Bairstow have A LOT of hard work to do tomorrow 😬
📺📱💻 Watch Today at the Test on @BBCiPlayer and BBC Four
bbc.in/3Ib7evY
#BBCCricket #ENGvIND https://t.co/KdeXCReEzf
Interestingly, India were in a similar position, 98-5, in the first innings. The visitors were rescued by their sixth-wicket partnership. Rishabh Pant put on a blistering show and Jadeja shut shop on the other end to contribute 222 runs together. Bairstow and Stokes play almost identical roles in their team and would look to do the same.
"He's somewhat underrated as a batter" - Wasim Jaffer on Ravindra Jadeja
- @Edgbaston
Ravindra Jadeja gets included in the honours list at Edgbaston 😍🇮🇳
📷 - @Edgbaston
#RavindraJadeja #India #TeamIndia #ENGvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/UXQwMxzR4U
Further praising Jadeja, Jaffer said the 33-year-old is an "underrated" batter who has made many important contributions in the last two years. He also lauded the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star for recovering from a disastrous IPL 2022 campaign, where he stepped down from the captaincy mid-way through and an injury, to rescue India again.
Jaffer remarked:
"Ravindra Jadeja was playing second fiddle to Rishabh Pant yesterday, batting carefully at the other end. He's somewhat underrated as a batter but he has played many important knocks and made many important contributions in batting, bowling, and fielding in the last two years across the three formats.
"He's improved immensely as a cricketer. Playing such an important knock and rescuing India from 98-5 after the setback in the IPL and a mediocre season followed by an injury break - full credit to him and also Rishabh Pant."
The match will resume at 3:00 pm IST. You can catch live action here.
Also Read: "You don't mind when a batter hits you for runs" - Wasim Jaffer on Stuart Broad's misery against Jasprit Bumrah in IND vs ENG Test