Birmingham [UK], July 3 (ANI): After scoring a century in the ongoing fifth Test against England, India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said that his ton gave him a lot of confidence.
India have an edge on the rain-truncated Day 2 of the fifth and final Test between India and England at Edgbaston in Birmingham with captain Jasprit Bumrah leading the attack to take three of five wickets of the hosts after a power-packed batting performance.
England was left struggling at 84/5 at the end of the final session.
"I'm feeling really good, to do it outside India, especially in England to hit a hundred as a player is a really big thing. I can really take some confidence in myself as a player from this, to score a hundred in England, in swinging conditions, so yeah it feels really good," said Jadeja in a post-match press conference.
After watching Jadeja's innings, England pacer James Anderson stated that he plays like a proper batter which made things difficult for the Three Lions.
Replying to Anderson's remarks, Jadeja said, "See, when you score runs, everyone says they think of themselves as a proper batter. But I've always tried to give myself time at the crease, to set a partnership with whoever is at the crease, to play with him. It's nice Jimmy Anderson has realised that after 2014... so I'm happy."
Rishabh Pant (146) and Jadeja (104) stitched a huge partnership of 222 runs which gave India a strong hand.
"A little pressure goes off because he's (Pant) hitting every bowler in the same way. He wasn't leaving anyone alone. At the non-striker's end, it feels good because they then don't focus too much on me. But as a batsman, you still have to come to [a place like] England and concentrate and focus because it is never easy here," said Jadeja.
"You're playing on 50 or 70 and you can get a good ball anytime. I and Rishabh were talking about this, that we just try and put on a long partnership. When I came to bat we had to take the team to a good position and really had to put some effort in. Hopefully, we've put a good total on the board," he added.
Coming to the match, at the end of the day, England's score in their first innings read 84/5, with Jonny Bairstow (12*) and Ben Stokes (0*) standing at the crease. India were bowled out for 416 earlier in the day.
England resumed things at 60/3 after Tea, with Joe Root (19*) and Jonny Bairstow (6*) unbeaten on the crease. Root started off things nicely, hitting pacer Mohammed Shami for two fours in the first over after Tea.
Root-Bairstow added a total of 34 runs before pacer Mohammed Siraj dismissed Root for 31 after wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant caught the ball which hit the edge of Root's willow.
This brought spinner Jack Leach to the crease, who had come up on the order as a night watchman. He could face only five balls before he was sent back to the pavilion by Shami for a duck. The hosts found themselves in trouble, with half the team back in the hut at a score of 83 runs.
Skipper Ben Stokes was out next on the crease, with a duty to carry England throughout the remainder of the day safely. He did so, carrying the bat along with his partner at the end of the final session. (ANI)
Source: Sports