You have to work hard for wickets in Rajkot – Ravindra Jadeja on his POTM award-winning performance

Ravindra Jadeja won the Player of the Match award in the third Test after India floored England in a lopsided encounter at Rajkot. Promoted in the batting order, Jadeja hammered a century in the first innings and followed it up with a brace with the ball in his hands. To cap off what was already a reckoning display in the Test, Jadeja ran through the batting order of England to claim half their side in their second innings as India cruised past the finish line, bowling out England for 122 and pocketing a massive 434-run win.

Talking at the post-match presentation, Ravindra Jadeja said, “I was just looking to build partnerships with Rohit, we were in a difficult situation, look to back my strengths, play my shots, not try and be more conscious. Watch the ball and play the ball.”

Shedding light about the surface where it all started for the talismanic all-rounder, Jadeja said, “I know about this wicket, if we bat first, it is always good to bat on, in the second half it starts spinning, when Rohit won the toss, we were thinking: this is all what we wanted, bat first, bowl second. On this wicket you won't get easy wickets, you have to work hard for it. You need to throw balls in good areas, you have to earn your wickets.”

Jadeja scored 112 runs in the first innings, knitting together a crucial partnership with Rohit Sharma to eke India out of early trouble while following that up with seven wickets in two innings collectively to stand out in India’s rampant victory over England.