Ravindra Jadeja’s failure to bowl incisive spells during England’s second innings in Leeds had earned him a lot of flak in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy opener last week.
As India lost the Headingley Test, the lower order’s failure to contribute with the bat came through, though Jadeja could hardly have been held responsible. He ran out of partners in both the innings despite his best efforts.
Jadeja didn’t let the opportunity go to waste in the company of Shubman Gill in Birmingham. The sixth-wicket pair added 203 runs off 279 balls to provide respectability to the innings after India were staring down the barrel at 211/5 on the first afternoon.
The visitors had lost two wickets in the space of four runs and the English bowlers were threatening to make further inroads. The senior partner was adept at mind games and left England frustrated with his habit of taking a step or two down the pitch before deciding whether or not to attempt a run on the second day.
Both Jadeja and Ben Stokes were spoken to by the umpires — Sharfuddoula and Chris Gaffaney — and encouraged to avoid the ‘danger area’ on a good length. Chris Woakes too made his displeasure clear with Jadeja.
Jadeja fell shortly before Lunch on Thursday for 89, caught behind down the leg side off Josh Tongue, but not before he had left England annoyed with his charismatic ways to blunt the attack.
Jadeja marked his ninth 50-plus score against England with his trademark sword celebration. He and Gill then exchanged sixes off Shoaib Bashir to take India past 400.
England were content with going through the motion as none of Stokes’ plans worked. Bashir didn’t have the guile and variation to trouble the batters.
India will now hope Jadeja’s newfound confidence reflects on his bowling on a pitch which will afford turn as India look to square the series.
