On the second day of first Test against West Indies at Antigua, Ravindra Jadeja seemed happy with his performance as he smashed 58 off 112 helping his team at a crucial moment to reach 297 runs in the first innings. With strong bowling side, India dominated the match as West Indies trailed by 108 runs with 8 wicket loss.
“I did not have any pressure on me to perform. Obviously, you feel good and worthy when the skipper believes in you. It boosts your confidence because your captain is showing faith in you. Luckily, I have been able to repay the faith by performing well. I will keep doing the same in the future also.” said Jadeja.
Furthermore, he added, “I was focusing on the game, not thinking about what is going on outside what others think. I was just trying to give my best on the field.”
Jadeja had made the play XI while Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and bowler Kuldeep Yadav were left out that raised questions by former captain Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly.
Jadeja had scored 58 runs off 112 balls, while on the bowling side he gave away 58 runs in his 16 overs bowled dismissing 1 wicket. The West Indies team ended the second day with 189 runs at the cost of 8 wickets in their first innings.
Jadeja and Ishant built-up a partnership of 60 runs giving India an upper edge to the game. Speaking of his partnership with Ishant, Jadeja said, “I was constantly talking to Ishant that we should stay in the middle for as long as possible. That was the thought process. Not thinking far ahead but took each over as it came.”