NAGPUR: After bagging a fifer on his comeback Test match, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja talked about his recovery process and said he was bowling 10-12 hours every day at National Cricket Academy (NCA) which helped him a lot to get back his form and rythm.
Jadeja celebrated his comeback to Test cricket after a five-month layoff with five wickets against Australia. His 5/47 helped India bowl out the visitors for 177.
Captain Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten 56 has put the hosts in a dominant position against visitors at the end of Day 1 in the first Test match of Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday.
Jadeja said that in order to be fit for Test match, he would bowl nonstop hours at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangaluru throughout his rehabilitation.
“Being a left-arm spinner, if you get batter out caught behind or stumped, you always give credit to the ball. In Test match cricket, whatever wicket you take, you are happy with that. I was working hard on my bowling when I was in Bangalore at the NCA. I was bowling 10-12 hours every day and that helped me a lot. I was working on my rhythm because I knew that I have to play Test match and I have to bowl long spells,” Jadeja said in a post-match presentation.
“Very happy with the way I was bowling. I was enjoying my bowling. Playing after five months, playing Test cricket, it’s tough. I was prepared for it and I was working hard on my fitness as well as on my skills at NCA.
I played a first-class game (Ranji) after a long time and I bowled almost 42 overs. It gave me a lot of confidence to come here and play a Test match. There was no bounce in the wicket, I was targeting the stump-to-stump line. The odd ball was spinning and the odd ball was going straight,” he added.
This was the 34-year-old left-arm spinner’s fourth five-wicket haul against the tourists and his eleventh five-for in Test cricket.
Steve Smith was one of his victims. He was struck by a ripsnorter that got into batter’s stumps. He then went on to claim four more of top-six Australia batters. (ANI)