Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy: MVP Jadeja earns praise

London, July 18

India head coach Gautam Gambhir led the chorus of praise for experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, describing his heroics in the Lord’s Test against England as an “incredible fight”.

Jadeja remained unbeaten on 61 off 181 balls but despite his valiant knock, India went down by 22 runs in the third Test.

“That was an incredible fight. The fight from Jaddu was absolutely brilliant,” said Gambhir in a video titled ‘The MVP ft. Ravindra Jadeja’, which was posted on the BCCI website on Friday.

Chasing a modest 193, India’s batting line-up crumbled with the top eight lasting less than 40 overs.

But Jadeja, who came in at No. 7, stood firm and showed immense courage and grit alongside tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Together, they batted for more than 34 overs to keep India afloat.

Bumrah faced 54 balls for his 5 and Siraj played out 30 deliveries for his 4 before becoming the final wicket to fall to Shoaib Bashir.

India folded for 170 in 74.5 overs to trail 1-2 in the five-match series.

“His batting has reached another level. In the last two Tests the consistency and the calmness he brought to the dressing room. I’ve watched him for so many years and how he’s developed his game now, his defence is rock solid, looks like a proper batter,” Gambhir’s deputy Ryan ten Doeschate said in the video.

India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, Jadeja’s former Saurashtra teammate at domestic level, highlighted the all-rounder’s temperament under pressure.

“I always felt he has the ability to take pressure. With so much of experience, he normally comes with something that the team needs in any challenging conditions. Really, really valuable to the team,” Kotak said.

Pacer Mohammed Siraj echoed the sentiment, underlining Jadeja’s all-round value.

“It’s very difficult to get a player like me and we are lucky to have such a player in our team,” Siraj said.

Opener Shubman Gill, speaking at the post-match press conference, had earlier summed up Jadeja’s impact.

“He is one of the most valuable players of India. The skillset he brings with his batting, bowling and fielding. He is someone who is very rare to find. The way Jaddu bhai batted was a very proud effort. The character and the courage they showed was tremendous,” Gill had said.

India will have to win the fourth Test beginning in Manchester on July 23 to keep their hopes of winning the series alive.

‘Soft’ Dukes ball to

be examined

In the eye of a storm, the manufacturer of the Dukes ball on Friday said it will conduct a thorough review following widespread criticism of the “soft” balls used in the first three Tests between India and England.

The on-field umpires have regularly changed the balls in the ongoing five-match series as they were unable to retain hardness and were going out of shape quickly, particularly post 30 overs. The whole process has caused delays to the match proceedings.

Following criticism by India captain Shubman Gill and former English pacer Stuart Broad, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will collect as many used balls as possible and return them to the company that produces Dukes balls by the end of the week. — PTI