On an impressive comeback trail with 21 wickets, Ravindra Jadeja on Saturday admitted that he’s “lucky that a lot of things fell in place” which helped him produce an impressive performance against South Africa in the ongoing Test series.
Asked if the timing of his Ranji Trophy exploits (34 wickets in 3 matches) and subsequent Test performance might bring him back in contention for the limited overs format, Jadeja sounded positive.
“Yes, you can say that. When I was dropped from the team, I think in June-July, I was out for nearly six months. At the start of the Ranji Trophy seasons, I got three matches in Rajkot and luck also favoured us with the wickets offering turn,” Jadeja, who returned with figures of 5/30 in South Africa’s meager first innings score of 121 in the fourth and final Test here, said.
“No doubt, I worked hard at the ground but a lot of things were timed to perfection. Ranji Trophy started with SA series being round the corner. So it all fell in place for me,” Jadeja said.
He expressed happiness that no one can term the Feroz Shah Kotla track as a turner.
“It’s good that everyone is doing well. Now you can’t call this a turner. We are playing two spinners and they are also playing two spinners. Moreover, they are employing four spinners while we are using only two, I don’t think there’s anything special in the wicket,” said Jadeja.
“It’s just that we batted well in first innings and they did not as a result of which, we got a lead of 213 runs. As the game progresses, the wicket will get worse, so we are n a good position. Now we need to get them out in second innings. I think this is a far better wicket than the one at Nagpur,” he said.
Jadeja is also happy that all the spinners are complementing each other well.
“I have not done anything special. I bowled just like I do in Ranji Trophy. All of us, Ashwin, myself and Mishy bhai (Amit Mishra), have complemented each other. I need to prove myself in whatever matches I play for India,” he said.
Jadeja said that after being dropped, negativity had crept in him for some time.
He is also enjoying bowling in tandem with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. “Obviously, feeling good that both me and Ashwin are bowling well in tandem. We have played a lot together and we interact a lot during net sessions. Since we are now doing well, just like we performed in the 2013 Australia home series. We understand each others’ strengths and weaknesses. telling me about my weak areas and how I can improve.”