England stunned India in the opening Test of the five-match series in Hyderabad. On a spin-friendly surface, the Ben Stokes-led side defeated the hosts by 28 runs, taking an important lead in the series. Even though they went down in Visakhapatnam, the team has shown a lot of courage and promise to bounce back in the remaining three Tests.
Speaking about England’s qualities ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, Ravindra Jadeja mentioned that the visitors like to play an aggressive brand of cricket but they are not one of the most difficult teams to beat. The all-rounder added that a couple of minor mistakes cost them the Hyderabad Test but they are now ready with better plans to counter England’s tactics.
“I won’t term England as (one of the most difficult) teams. It hasn’t been easy for other teams to come to India and win. They have an aggressive style of play. We need to get used to that and plan accordingly for them. If it wasn’t for small mistakes in the second innings of first Test, we wouldn’t have lost,” Jadeja was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.
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Jadeja opens up on his recent injuries
The all-rounder suffered multiple injuries in the recent past, with the latest one coming in the first Test in Hyderabad, when he hurt his hamstring. Jadeja was ruled out of the second Test in Visakhapatnam but is set to return in Rajkot. Ahead of the third Test, he opened up on his recent injuries and mentioned that too much cricket is hurting his body as it’s finally showing.
“It is frustrating but the cricket has increased these days and that is at the back of the mind always. I can’t hide anywhere in the field, I am always on the hotspot in any format and that may be the reason (for injuries), and the ball comes to me often. There is an expectation from the team that I take a good catch or field well and that’s good. I can work on my body more smartly and do it carefully and hope there will be no problem. But there is no guarantee,” he said.