Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has credited India head coach Gautam Gambhir for helping him adapt to a new role in the batting order, saying that moving up to number six has made him think “more as a proper batter.” The shift, Jadeja believes, has brought out the best in him during India’s dominant two-Test series sweep over the West Indies.
Jadeja’s all-round brilliance was central to India’s seven-wicket triumph in the second Test here on Tuesday, earning him the player of the series award. The 36-year-old had earlier scored a match-turning 104 in the opening game in Ahmedabad and claimed eight wickets across the two Tests.
“I think we know what brand of cricket we’ve been playing over the last five, six months. So, that’s a good sign as a team, that we continue to do it over a long period of time,” Jadeja said during the post-match presentation ceremony. “As Gauti bhai (Gambhir) said, I am at number six now. So I am thinking more as a proper batsman, and that works for me. In the past, for many years, I’ve been batting at number eight, number nine, so my mindset was a little different from what I have now,” he added.
Jadeja also emphasised that personal records are secondary to contributing to the team. “we’ve been doing wonderful work as a team, in terms of batting and bowling. I am just trying to spend more time in the middle whenever I get a chance to bat. To be honest, I don’t think too much about records. I just focus on contributing with both bat and ball to help my team win. I always look forward to do that. I feel if I don’t perform with bat and ball, then it doesn’t reflect my value as a player,” he said.
Player of the match Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed eight wickets in the second Test, reflected on the challenges of bowling long spells on an unresponsive track. “This was a totally different wicket. Bowling a lot of overs was the challenge here. I enjoyed bowling here. There wasn’t any drift here. The wicket was too dry. Bowling a lot of overs and getting the breakthrough is something I enjoy a lot,” he said.
With Jadeja thriving in his new role at number six and Kuldeep adapting to testing conditions, India’s all-round strength was on full display, helping the team maintain momentum and setting a strong platform for upcoming series.
