When Virat Kohli announced his side at the toss, there were a lot of apprehensions over the decision to axe Ravichandran Ashwin and include Ravindra Jadeja as the lone spinner in the side. However, the left-hander vindicated this decision with a timely half-century and then a disciplined spell, which also included the wicket of debutant Sharmah Brooks.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the day's play, Jadeja thanked the management and captain Virat Kohli for reposing the trust in him. "Obviously you feel good when the skipper believes in you, thinks of you as the main player. Luckily, I have been able to repay the faith by performing well," said Jadeja at the end of the second day's play," Jadeja said.
India was in a spot of bother at 189/6, but Jadeja stayed put and steered the Indian innings along with Ishant Sharma. He went on the score 58 vital runs which pushed India's score to 297 in the first innings.
'Looked to build a partnership'
"When I was batting out there in the middle, I just looked to build a partnership. I was focussing to play with the tailenders. I was just worried about my game, I was trying to give my best out on the park," Jadeja said.
Rishabh Pant was dismissed early in the day, but Jadeja found great support in Ishant Sharma and together the duo batted for nearly 20 overs and added 60 runs for the eighth wicket. "I just looked to build a partnership. I was constantly talking to Ishant, and we talked about staying out in the middle for as long as possible. We were thinking about one over at a time," Jadeja said.
Speaking about the gameplan, Jadeja said that it was fairly simple - they wanted to bat for as long as possible, put a price on their wicket and out away the loose deliveries.
"I am just very positive in my mind, my shot selection is positive. When Rishabh got out, I was talking to Ishant about staying out in the middle and building a partnership. It is not good for opponents if the lower order is constantly scoring runs, so it was the gameplan from our side," he added.
At the end of the day, West Indies were reduced to 189 for 8 and Ishant Sharma was the star of the day with a 5-wicket haul. The other bowlers too contributed and West Indies would now need a stellar effort in the second dig to drag themselves out of this hole.
