Shardul Thakur has answered arguably the most sought-out question on Day 1 of the 4th Oval Test – why was spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja sent to bat at No. 5 spot ahead of Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant.
Shardul Thakur revealed that it was a pre-planned move, considering Ravindra Jadeja’s form in the series, and a straightforward attempt to maintain the left-right batting combination at the crease.
Shardul Thakur: Since Ravindra Jadeja Has Scored Crucial Runs And India Could Use Left-Right Hand Combination, So He Was Promoted
Ravindra Jadeja came in ahead of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and scored an uncomfortable 34-ball 10 runs. This was only the second time he batted in the middle-order position (the first was in March 2017 against Australia) inarguably as a reward for his half-century in the first Test at Trent Bridge and a gritty 40 at Lord’s.
“I think everyone was thinking about it since a long time and whether Rishabh goes or Jadeja goes, it doesn’t really matter because both of them are match-winners.”
“We have seen that on a number of occasions Jadeja has scored crucial runs and coming to England, if you saw his batting in the first Test and also at Lord’s in the first innings, he’s been trying to stay on the pitch, he’s batting patiently and just to use that left-right combination we sent him up the order,” said Shardul Thakur, in reply to Sportskeeda’s query in the press-conference.
Shardul Thakur’s explanation also clarified that it wasn’t a reaction to Ajinkya Rahane not being ready with his batting gear after Cheteshwar Pujara’s wicket, as pundits like Sunil Gavaskar initially believed it to be.
Ajinkya Rahane Fails Again
Although Ravindra Jadeja’s promotion showed the team’s growing trust in his batting abilities, it also had a glaring subtext. Ajinkya Rahane has been going through a rough patch and the manner of his dismissals has exposed his new-ball struggles against a relentless attack at home. Batting at No.6, Ajinkya Rahane scored 14 runs off 47 balls on Thursday as India was dismissed for only 191 with Shardul Thakur(57) and Virat Kohli (50) being the saving grace.
Thus, it won’t be a diabolical assumption to say that Ravindra Jadeja batting means that Ravi Shastri and Co. don’t have the same confidence in Ajinkya Rahane as they had before the last 99 times he was sent out to bat at No. 5. At the moment, it all looks to be going downhill for the vice-captain.
Ajinkya Rahane has managed only 109 runs in the ongoing series at a pathetic average of 18.17. Apart from the 61 in the 2nd Test at Lord’s, his scores read 5, 1, 18, 10, and 14.