Rajkot (Gujarat): India skipper Rohit Sharma was effusive in his praise for the bowlers after the hosts registered an emphatic 434-run win over England in the third Test at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here on Sunday. "The bowlers showed a lot of character, not to forget we did not have our most experienced bowler as well," Rohit said after the match.
He lauded local boy Ravindra Jadeja for his stupendous performance with the ball in the second innings. "With the bat, we knew the job was half-done, those two youngsters got us the lead we wanted and obviously Jadeja with the ball in the second innings was superb," the Indian skipper added. The skipper also praised opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who notched up his second double-century and played a key part in the team's win.
"I have spoken a lot about him, in Vizag (Visakhapatnam) as well, people outside the change room have spoken as well. I don't want to talk, too, much about him, he has started his career on a high, I want him to continue doing, yeah looks a good player," added Rohit. Jadeja, who was adjudged as the Player of the Match, and built a crucial partnership with skipper Rohit in the first innings, admitted that the team was in a difficult situation.
"I was just looking to build partnerships with Rohit, we were in a difficult situation, I look to back my strengths, play my shots, not try and be more conscious. Watch the ball and play the ball," added Jadeja, who notched a century in the first innings. According to Jadeja, he knows the track in Rajkot.
"I know about this wicket, if we bat first, it is always good to bat on, in the second half it starts spinning, when Rohit (Sharma) won the toss, we were thinking, this is all that we wanted, bat first, bowl second. On this wicket you won't get easy wickets, you have to work hard for it. You need to throw balls in good areas, you have to earn your wickets," added Jadeja, a left-arm spinner and left-handed batter.
England skipper Ben Stokes heaped praise on Ben Duckett for playing an unbelievable innings. "That was the tone we wanted to set throughout the innings. It was about identifying that opportunity and getting as close to India's total. We wanted to bowl on Saturday, but it was earlier than when we wanted. Sometimes gameplans don't work and that was the case. Everyone's got a perception and opinion about things, the people in the dressing room are what matters to us," added Stokes.
Stokes now sees it as a great opportunity for the team to make a comeback in the five-match Test series. "1-2 down in the series and a great opportunity for us to come back and win the series. We leave this game behind and we know we have to win the next two games to win the series and that's what we'll look to do," he added.
The Rajkot Test was only the second instance of Ben Stokes losing back-to-back Tests as captain. The first instance came against Australia at Edgbaston and Lord's in 2023. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja joined the illustrious list comprising Vinoo Mankad and Ravichandran Ashwin, who has scored a century and taken a five-wicket haul.
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