Ravindra Jadeja, India’s seasoned all-rounder, is poised to achieve a significant milestone at his home ground, Chepauk, in the ongoing Test match against Bangladesh. With 296 Test wickets to his name, Jadeja is just four scalps away from becoming the third Indian spinner to reach the 300-wicket mark.
In the first innings of the series opener, Jadeja claimed two wickets, further bolstering his impressive Test record. He also made a valuable contribution with the bat, scoring a solid 86 in a crucial 199-run partnership with centurion Ravichandran Ashwin.
Jadeja’s dismissal by Taskin Ahmed prevented him from reaching a century, but he remained upbeat about his performance. “I got out today, but it’s part and parcel of the game,” he said. “Now we have to put up a good score on the board in the second innings. I am very happy with my bowling, the way I went through today. It’s a good opportunity to take the 300th wicket on this ground.”
India are in a commanding position, having extended their overall lead to 308 runs. The hosts were 81 for three at stumps after dismissing Bangladesh for 149 in their first innings. India had made 376 in their first innings.
Jadeja, who has extensive experience playing at Chepauk due to his long tenure with Chennai Super Kings, emphasized the importance of batting well in the second innings. “First we have to bat very well, we have to put somewhere around 120-150 from hereon,” he said. “We’ll be in a good position and then we’ll come out and bowl and try and get them out as early as possible.”
A record 17 wickets fell in a day at Chepauk, indicating that the pitch offered something for both pacers and spinners. “It’s pretty good for batting but there’s still something in the wicket for the fast bowlers,” Jadeja observed. “Odd ball was seaming, odd ball was swinging, it’s not that easy for batters. If fast bowlers bend their back, they can take something out of the wicket.”
Jadeja also praised his partnership with Ashwin, who scored a brilliant 113 at his home ground. “First of all, Ashwin doesn’t need any advice,” he said. “I was just talking to Ash that we are not gonna miscall or try and make errors because the wicket was so good and we both were batting very well.”
“I said we’ll look to take easy singles, I’ll try and not make you run hard and that was the conversation between us. Well played to Ashwin, he played a brilliant knock at his home ground.”
Jadeja concluded by highlighting the potential for all five Indian bowlers to make an impact in the second innings. “There’s something in the wicket for the fast bowler and for spinners also, odd spin and odd ball is keeping low,” he said. “All the five bowlers will be in play.”
