Ravindra Jadeja nipped down to Edgbaston before the team coach had even left the hotel, technically breaching the BCCI’s new “all-travel-together” instruction. A slap on the wrist? Unlikely. The all-rounder simply wanted 20 extra minutes of batting practise with the new ball looming and India five down for 211.
“Somewhere I felt that I should go and bat extra because the ball was still new,” Jadeja said. “I felt if I can see the new ball off, it would become easy for the rest of the innings.”
Facts first. Day three of the second Test, Birmingham. Jadeja resumed on 41, Shubman Gill on 126; India 324 for 5 overnight. By lunch the pair had stretched their stand to 203, the visitors eventually reaching a robust 587. Jadeja’s 89 ended when Josh Tongue found a rare spiteful lifter, but the damage — from England’s point of view — was already done.
Former India seamer Varun Aaron, on commentary duty, summed it up plainly: “The Jadeja-Gill partnership is the most important of the Test so far.”
Why the early arrival matters
The BCCI’s post-Australia tour standard operating procedure is blunt: everyone on the bus, no exceptions. Security and optics, mainly. Yet management appear relaxed. One support-staff member muttered that coming in early to hit balls is “hardly a hanging offence”. Privately, coaches were pleased the left-hander had shown initiative.
Jadeja’s take was matter-of-fact. “Luckily I could bat till lunch, and then Washi[ngton Sundar] also batted well with Shubman. The more you bat in England, the better it is because you never feel you are set in England. At any time a ball can swing and take your edge or bowl you.”
Bat plus sword, then nearly three figures
There was no trademark sword-twirl at fifty; the all-rounder had bigger problems, namely Tongue’s well-directed short ball. Still, 89 in a rescue act felt significant. “When you contribute with the bat for the team, it feels great, when you are playing outside India, and the team needs you more, it feels good,” he said. “From 210 for 5 to put together a big partnership to take the team forward, it is a challenge… it gives you confidence as a cricketer and a batter that in the coming matches also you can contribute.”
Niggling Stokes, treading carefully
Jadeja’s habit of following through straight down the pitch irritated Ben Stokes. The England captain pointed insistently at the protected area, urging umpires to intervene. Jadeja shrugged. “He felt I was making rough for myself. The fast bowlers were doing it anyway. I don’t need to do that… It might have happened once or twice by mistake, but I didn’t mean to.”
Bowling plans and the road ahead
Although India snaffled three late wickets with the new ball, the surface remains decent for batting. Jadeja predicted hard graft rather than magic balls: tight lines, in-out fields, little deviation off the seam. “You never feel you are set in England,” he reminded, a warning aimed as much at his own attack as England’s top order.
Sanctions? None expected. Runs on the board and intent to prepare responsibly are likely to outweigh a minor transport infraction. Besides, the bus will be roomier without the left-hander.
