Calcutta: Ravindra Jadeja, who was adjudged the Man of the Match in the Kanpur Test, revealed that before the series against New Zealand he was preparing himself as a batsman.

"I am very happy (with my performance). Before the series started I was thinking that I need to play my role as a batsman as well. I was preparing myself as a batsman," Jadeja said at the post-match presentation.

Jadeja also said that the Duleep Trophy, which preceded the series, also helped him. "The Duleep Trophy helped me a lot because I was getting wickets there as well. It gave me confidence. I was enjoying my bowling."

About his and Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling in the first Test, Jadeja said: "The ball wasn't turning from the stump line in the first innings, so we were trying to mix the pace. Obviously, Ashwin is a very good bowler on slow turning wickets and I would like to congratulate him for completing 200 wickets in Tests."