Birmingham: Ravindra Jadeja has a very simple formula for success. Rather than bothering about the reputation of the batsmen at the other end, he performs the duties as a bowler without succumbing to any kind of pressure.
Describing to Gulf News how he converted the overcast conditions at the Oval, which were ideal for pace bowling, to a situation favourable for his spin, Jadeja said: “The wicket was a bit slow. So I realised that if I bowled slow, I could get turn. I also made sure not to bowl outside the off stump and leg stump. I just maintained a straight line.”
Asked what went through his mind when he was bowling to West Indies’ big hitters, he said: “I was not thinking about the batsmen particularly. I was just thinking of the way I was going to bowl and what my situation was, my role in the team, and what the wicket was doing. So basically, I was just trying to bowl in the right areas. It was not easy for the new batsmen to get any runs.”
Jadeja said he owes his success to skipper Mahendra Dhoni’s confidence in him.
“Mahi bhai (brother) is a thinking captain. He can read my abilities very well and I am happy I am doing the job for him. He can read a person’s cricket very well. He backs me all the time in batting and bowling. I just try and give my best for him whenever I am given a chance to bat or bowl,” he said.
Incidentally, Dhoni jokingly addresses Jadeja as “Sirji” and when asked why does he call him so, Jadeja said: “I still can’t figure out why he calls me Sirji.”
Asked about the value that Jadeja brings to the team, Dhoni said: “You think I know him [Jadeja] well, but even I’m finding out over a period of time. He is a player who provides us with balance in the side as we don’t have a quality seamer/all-rounder.”
Jadeja also uses another technique to ensure success on the pitch — shutting out irrelevant issues and focusing only on his game.
In fact, according to him, the secret behind the whole team is focusing on what each player has to do.
“We all focus on our game. We take one game at a time. We don’t bother about other games. So if we are winning, then we know we are improving.”
Jadeja said that the controversies surrounding Indian cricket have not affected him or even his teammates.
“I think everybody is doing their own job. The batsmen are scoring runs, bowlers are taking wickets, and fielders are doing a very good job on the field. So I think we have a very good balanced side. We are getting very good starts in the first 10 to 15 overs through our openers Rohit (Sharma) and Shikhar (Dhawan), so that is a good sign for us in the crucial games.”
Jadeja admitted that his five-wicket spell was his best bowling performance in international career.
“It is one of my best bowling performances because I got four-wickets on three occasions in my career. This is the first time I got five wickets, so I’m very happy.”
