India vs Sri Lanka: There was no help… I was looking to bowl in right areas, says Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja took 3 wickets on Day 1 of the second Test in Nagpur.

It was a day for India spinners in Nagpur on Friday. With Sri Lanka winning the toss and electing to bat first, Indian bowlers had the job to restrict Sri Lanka to a low total. Returning fast bowler Ishant Sharma took the onus on himself to get the early breakthrough. After Ishant’s lively spell, spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ran through the visitors’ middle-order.

While Ashwin took four wickets in the day, his left-arm counterpart managed to take three as the home side bowled out Sri Lanka for 205. Expressing satisfaction on his efforts, Jadeja said, “I was very happy as to how I bowled today. There was no help from the wicket and I was looking to bowl in right areas.”

The all-rounder added that because of no help from the pitch, Ashwin tried different angles and managed to get the precious wicket of Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal. “If there is nothing in the wicket for spinners, then it’s good to try something different. Over the wicket or round the wicket, just try and create chances. That’s what he was doing.”

The 28-year old compared Nagpur wicket with the wicket during the first Test at Kolkata and said the seamers bowled well in the first session. “There was a lot of help from the wicket there (Kolkata) so you guys must have felt that every ball will yield a wicket but that was not the case here because this wicket had grass but not the bounce or swing or the overcast conditions of Kolkata. That’s why we did not get much help but the two (Ishant and Yadav) bowled well in the first session,” he said.

With South Africa series in mind, Jadeja was questioned on who will be the first choice between him and Ashwin to be included in the playing XI overseas. The spinner joked that if the choice was up to him, he would continue to bowl from one end. “If I am the captain, I will not even give the ball to anyone (laughs). I will keep bowling from one end,” he said. Later, the bowler added that the choice depends on team composition and he will try to do his best in case he gets selected.

“I can only control the controllable. When I get an opportunity, I will try to do well. What is not in my control, there is no point thinking about it. When I get a chance to play in South Africa, I will try to do well,” Jadeja said.