Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja opined that it can be counted as a ‘winning situation’ if India can bat out the final day against South Africa and secure a draw in the second Test.
Chasing a 549-run target, the third largest it has ever faced in Test cricket, India was reduced to 27 for two at the end of day’s play on Tuesday in Guwahati.
“We will have to bat well. Take it session by session. If we don’t give a wicket in the first session, then there will obviously be pressure on the bowlers that they need to bowl us out. For us, that will be a win-win situation if we can bat the full day out tomorrow; it’ll be as good as a winning situation,” said Jadeja at the press conference after Day 4.
Jadeja suggested that India’s meek position in the Test was the making of many tiny moments going wrong for the team, including losing the toss.
“I think in cricket it’s all about timing. It starts with winning the toss. If we had won the toss on this wicket, then we would have been in a good situation right now. Like, from 2012 to 2024, we didn’t lose a series at home. In that time, we’ve handled these situations well. But then we won a lot of tosses and scored big in the first innings and even beat our opposition by an innings,” pointed out Jadeja.
India has struggled with the bat so far in this Test. It was bundled out for 201 in decent batting conditions in the first innings and lost both its openers cheaply on Day 4. Jadeja believes this has been an outcome of difficult match situations.
“In cricket, the situation always matters. If you are 300 odd runs ahead in the game, then any batsman can come and play freely. They’re not thinking about spin or bounce, or how the wicket is. But when you’re 300 runs behind, and you have to go out and play out a day, defend through it or [when you] have a 550-run target, and the ball is turning and bouncing, that plays on the mind more,” said Jadeja.
The all-rounder also doesn’t believe it is fair to highlight the ‘inexperience’ of this Indian team.
“The youngsters in the team have a learning phase. So, in international cricket, no matter what format you play, it’s not easy. In India, when a situation like this happens, and you play 3-4 youngsters in the team, it feels like the whole team is young and inexperienced. And that gets highlighted.
“When India wins in home conditions, people think that it’s not a big deal. You have to win. So, people think that if you win a series in India, it’s not a big deal. But if you lose a series in India, it becomes a very big deal,” added Jadeja.
