The first India-Sri Lanka Test match at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali will be remembered for numerous reasons. The very first reason would be the team winning by an innings and 222 runs. Second, for Virat Kohli crossing 8,000 Test runs in his 100th Test. Third, for R. Ashwin surpassing Anil Kumble to become the second-highest wicket-taker for Tests in India. And finally, for Ravindra Jadeja.
Ravindra Jadeja had a Test match to remember. After registering his highest individual Test score of 175 not-out in the first innings followed by a five-wicket haul, the star all-rounder pocketed yet a four-for in the second innings to bag the player of the match award. Had he bagged just one more wicket over the course of the three days, he would have set a new world record by becoming the first man in the history of the game to score 150 runs in an innings and bagging 10 scalps in the same match. Ashwin, while speaking to the broadcasters after the culmination of the game on Sunday, spoke highly of Jadeja.
“He has really come a long way in the last four-five years. I think his position is a little low for the way he is batting at the moment. His batting has gone one notch higher. He knows what he is doing and it reflects in the way he is batting. In between we both realized that Jayant hasn’t bowled a lot. For someone who is our third spinner, it was important to look after him. Jaddu decided that he would give up his overs and give him a go from the end where there was assistance. And then I gave up my end. Jaddu was magnanimous enough to give up the ball first,” Ashwin explained.And finally, talking about his performance, right-arm spinner Ashwin quipped: “I had four weeks off. I wanted to contribute with the bat, stay positive, take one ball at a time. I usually get ahead of myself with the bat sometimes, and I hope to contribute now. I thought the surface was a pretty good one. It was not easy to get batsmen out on the defensive. You can’t leave Shami and Jasprit out of things either. They stuck to their guns, sustained pressure, bowled their hearts out and reversed the ball to give the follow-on.”
