“He showed why he was picked” - Cheteshwar Pujara lauds Indian veteran’s crucial knock in BGT 2024-25 3rd Test

Out-of-favor India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has praised veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his pivotal knock on Day 4 (Tuesday, December 17) of the ongoing third Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at The Gabba.

The 36-year-old came in at number seven when India were in a precarious position, having lost half their side for just 74 runs. Jadeja appeared solid and stitched a vital 67-run partnership off 115 balls with KL Rahul, helping India mount a fightback. While Rahul was dismissed for 84 off 139 balls, Jadeja displayed great resilience, reaching his 22nd Test fifty off 82 balls.

Speaking on Star Sports, Pujara said the partnership between KL Rahul and Jadeja was crucial and that the veteran all-rounder demonstrated why he was selected for the team. He said:

“The partnership between KL and Jadeja was the standout partnership of this innings and now things are looking a lot better. And KL has showed that if you apply yourself, if you bat well, it’s a good pitch where you can score runs. It’s not a very difficult pitch where you can’t survive or where you can’t bat."

He added:

"So, yeah, I mean, it’s just about seeing through that new ball and KL showed that today. And even an important contribution from Ravindra because he was picked as a batter and he showed why he was picked.”

At the time of writing, the visitors were 194-7 after 60 overs, with Jadeja still at the crease on 59, while Mohammed Siraj had yet to score. India trail by 251 runs, with Australia having scored 445 in their first innings, bolstered by centuries from Steven Smith (101) and Travis Head (152).

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Ravindra Jadeja has an average of more than 50 with the bat in Tests in Australia

After being sidelined for the first two Tests, Ravindra Jadeja has proven his value in the ongoing third Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Playing his fifth Test in Australia, Jadeja has so far scored 234 runs in six innings at an average of 58.50, including three fifties. Additionally, he has taken 14 wickets.