Cricket fan changes red shirt in stands after Jadeja gets distracted during fifth Test

LONDON: A spectator in the stands changed his red shirt to a grey one as the vibrant colour was distracting Ravindra Jadeja while he was batting during the final session of Day 3 of the fifth Test between India and England at Kennington Oval on Saturday.

The incident occurred during the final phase of the day. A security guard approached the spectator who was wearing a red top. Moments later, the security guard handed him a grey Surrey shirt, which the spectator put on. Jadeja gave him a thumbs up and then whacked Jamie Overton’s bouncer for a boundary.

Jadeja continued to be the biggest thorn for England bowlers and breezed past the 500-run mark in the series, marking the first instance of three Indian players crossing that landmark in a bilateral Test series. The 36-year-old breezed past former batting wizard VVS Laxman’s tally of 474, which he garnered during India’s tour of the West Indies in 2002.

He blazed past a hard-fought half-century. He added another feather to his cap by dethroning the legendary Sunil Gavaskar for the milestone of most 50-plus scores for India in a series in England.

He bettered “Little Master’s” tally of five with his six 50-plus scores for India during a series in England. Overall, Jadeja tied with West Indies’ Gerry Alexander and Pakistan’s Wasim Raja, who all boast six fifty-plus scores each in an away Test series while batting at number six or lower.

Overall, India now has three players who boast a tally of more than 500 runs in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. India captain Shubman Gill concluded his run in England with a staggering 754 runs at an average of 7540. Stylish opener KL Rahul follows next with 532 runs at 53.20, and Jadeja in third with 516 runs.

His exploits came to a bitter end at the hands of Josh Tongue. The seasoned southpaw tried to slash it, but gave away a thick outside edge in the process, which flew straight into the hands of Harry Brook, stationed at the second slip. Jadeja expressed his frustration by nearly punching the stumps and returned with a score of 53(77).

After his composed exploits concluded, Washington Sundar brought the T20 touch to red-ball cricket and delivered a swashbuckling 53 from 46 deliveries to set a 374-run target for England to chase down. (ANI)