Jadeja’s choice seemed to have more to do with India’s depleted bowling resources after the injury of Mohammed shami in the first test. With Shami unavailable and Ishant Sharma not making the trip to Australia, India didn’t have two of their first-pick closers.
Maybe they weren’t sure how debutante Mohammed siraj would go. Umesh Yadav also didn’t look his best in Adelaide and can be unpredictable in conditions abroad. Despite the ignominy of the 36 at the time, India decided to shore up its bowling options by playing the all-rounder of spinning bowling rather than a specialist batsman in Rahul.
It would have been a gamble 3-4 years ago for Jadeja to hit No. 7 in overseas conditions, but not anymore. Jadeja, in his current avatar, seems as confident in his hitting ability as he is in his metronomic turn of the left arm. Confidence has been more palpable multiple times in limited overs cricket, but his hitting in the five-day format has been equally impressive of late. Since September 2018, when he scored an undefeated 86 against England at The Oval, he has 713 runs in 14 test matches with an average of 59.41.
Sure, most of those Trials have come home, but more importantly, his approach to hitting has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. Unlike in previous years, when he came in 8th or 9th and felt more comfortable throwing his bat, he now relies on his defense and plays like a hitter who is sure the runs will come if he waits for the right moment.
At the MCG on Sunday, he did exactly that. Coming on 5/173, it is only the seventh instance where Jadeja is in the top 7 in an overseas test, India was in a dodgy situation with a couple of terrains at the time threatening to derail all the hard work that they had done. until then. However, alongside a composite Ajinkya Rahane at the other end, Jadeja never seemed upset as they built a potentially defining association. The runs did not flow freely from Jadeja’s bat, but he never tempted him to make a reckless blow that could lead to his downfall.
Jadeja will have to build on his 40 * undefeated on Monday, but his innings so far are an embodiment of his evolution as a test hitter. Until mid-2018, in fact, the southpaw was mostly close to bat behind R Ashwin, who has four centuries of testing under his belt. But just as Ashwin’s hitting has dropped in recent times, Jadeja’s has improved and he’s shown he’s ready to take on more responsibilities. For a long time, the discrepancy in Jadeja’s batting record in first-class cricket, where he has three triple centuries, and international cricket was not reflected favorably, but now he seems to be making amends and bridging that gap.
If Jadeja can keep this going in the future, it gives the Indian team the luxury of consistently playing with the 32-year-old at No. 7 regardless of the conditions and having five bowlers to choose from at all times.
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