"Did not feel he would get out....": Jadeja on captain Gill's marathon at Birmingham

India Gazette

15 hours ago

Birmingham [UK], July 4 (ANI): Following his side's fine day at field on day two of the Test, Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja hailed skipper Shubman Gill's historic double ton, saying that it did not look like he was going to get dismissed and the 'extra responsibility' of captaincy does not show in his batting.
Gill produced a masterclass for ages, with his 387-ball 269 propelling India to 587 before three early wickets left England tottering at 25/3, and the hosts ended their day at 77/3, with Joe Root (18*) and Harry Brook (30*) on the crease. After India was 211/5 on day one, Gill's 203-run stand with Jadeja (89 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and 144-run stand with Washington Sundar (42 in 103 balls, with three fours and a six).
Speaking during the post-day presser, Jadeja said about Gill's knock, 'Honestly, he looks very confident. He does not look like a captain in batting. He has been given an extra responsibility. He is carrying everything with him. I do not feel anything like that in his batting. Even today, unluckily, the ball went in his (fielder's) hand. But today, I did not feel that he would be out in this inning. He played very well. When we were batting together, we were talking about partnership. That we will have a long partnership, and we will keep talking to each other.'
Speaking about his conversations with 13-year-old Kuldeep Yadav, Jadeja said that it is about the balance of the team and if Kuldeep gets a chance, he will prove to be a 'wicket-taking option'.
'The team needs balance. You will get a chance. But when we go out, we do not talk about cricket. We talk about something else. You should not think about things that are not in the player's control. When you get a chance to perform, it will be for the team's benefit,' he added.
On the presence of spin on this wicket so far, Jadeja noted that the surface has not assisted them much, and the spinner's role is to keep the right field and bowl in the right areas to create problems for a batter.
'Even now, I will say that there is nothing in front of me. I haven't seen a single ball spin in two days. As the game progresses, I hope that the spinner gets more help from such wickets. As the game progresses, the pressure of the scoreboard will also remain in the batsman's mind,' he concluded. (ANI)