IND V ENG: Birth of Jadeja 'the batsman'

New Delhi: Something crept into Jadeja in the 122nd over of the Indian innings. He chipped down the track twice to pepper the long on boundary, slapped one past point and ended with a cross batted heave to take 16 runs off Stokes. An over later he sliced a wide one from Rashid to hand a simple catch to Woakes at Long on - that’s Ravindra Jadeja for you, flurry of boundaries and then a rush of blood to give his wicket away. Only this time around he did so after ensuring India a lead over 100, scoring a flawless 90 and bating the longest in his Test career. "I didn't go on an attacking mode just like that. They were bowling boring lines outside off stump. We had lot of time at our disposal so I just thought that let's disturb the bowler by going outside the off-stump. Try and use the area on the leg-side as there were only two fielders there. That’s what I was trying and luckily I got four boundaries in that over (of Woakes)," Jadeja said at the post-match conference. It is staggering that it took Jadeja 23 Tests to prove that he is capable of handling the willow as well. If you ask Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah, under whom Jadeja made his first class debut, who are his most bankable batsmen, he will invariably mention two names- Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja. Not sure if M S Dhoni or Virat Kohli would say the same thing for Jadeja who averages a modest 23.52 in Test cricket. It was on the back of two triple centuries that Jadeja the all-rounder forced his way into the Indian Test side in 2012 but since then he has managed to keep his place on the basis of brilliant bowling performances, Jadeja the batsman was somehow lost. Slipping down the order with Ashwin’s rise did not help his cause either. Jadeja chose a perfect situation to silence his critics on a ground he was awarded man of the match for his bowling performance the last time he played there. India were 204/6, still trailing England by 79 runs when Jadeja walked out to bat. The Saurashtra all-rounder decided to dig deep, curbing his natural attacking instincts and played a patient knock of 90 off 170 balls, his highest in Test match cricket. "It's not that I consider myself as a batsman, I am a batsman," said Jadeja. Indeed, Jadeja played like one. Post lunch on Day 3 England decided to dry out the runs and planted a 7-2 field, with Stokes bowling wide outside off stump, trying to test Jadeja’s patience. Jadeja came out with flying colours, letting it all go through to the keeper. Stokes tested him with bouncers, Rashid lured him with loopy leg spinners. But Jadeja was determined not to throw his wicket away easily. He stitched a 97 run partnership first with Ashwin (72), and then got together with Jayant Yadav to put on 77 runs as India managed to get a healthy lead of 134 in reply to England’s first innings total of 283. As the visitors struggle at 78/4 at stumps on Day 3, it will be Jadeja’s turn to spin a web with the ball. However, India would believe that Mohali has given birth to Jadeja, ‘the batsman’.