Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Ravindra Jadeja, who took three wickets to turn the tide of India’s match against Australia, said in his post-match presser that the pitch at Chepauk was a Test match type of a pitch so he kept it simple.
“The ball was stopping when I bowled the first over, the wicket was dry so stump line was a good plan. So I kept putting the ball in the stumps and it also turned well. 'Test match walla wicket thha (it was a test match type wicket)', so I kept it simple, “ the India and Saurashtra all-rounder said.
Jadeja broke into the defence of Steven Smith to give India its crucial breakthrough and he admitted that “his wicket was the turning point … from there onwards it was 199 all out."
"Longtime IPL (Indian Premier League) play at Chepauk helped me take advantage of the conditions here as I am very familiar with them,” the left-arm spinner added.
Speaking about the role of spinners and how they interact with each other, Jadeja said laughingly that “our only role is to take maximum wickets.”
As for the advice and help he gives the younger spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Jadeja said he does not need advice. “Kuldeep (Yadav) has been performing well. He is in good rhythm and touch as a spinner. However, we talk about how the spin will work, what speed and line and length should we take etc,” he added.
Commenting on the mood in the dressing room after the top three batsmen were wiped out for a duck by Australia, Jadeja underplayed the situation.
“When you are three wickets down in 2 overs … yes there is panic but nobody was too hyper. Virat (Kohli) and (KL) Rahul were there, it was amazing to see them bat,” he said.
The positive thing about the Kohli-Rahul partnership, he said, was how the batsmen built it. “Such situations will come when we play big teams but how our batsmen handle the pressure is what matters,” he added
Going into the tournament, Jadeja felt that a win like this definitely helps in the longer campaign. “It is good to defeat a big team it boosts your confidence. But every other team is good so if you win against a big team, we go in the positive direction,” he concluded.
