“His batting in Tests has gone to a different level” - Sanjay Manjrekar hails Ravindra Jadeja

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has praised all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the significant improvement in his batting in Test cricket in recent years. According to Manjrekar, the southpaw's batting in red-ball cricket for India has gone to a different level.

Jadeja top-scored for India on Day 2 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final on Thursday with a 48-run knock off 51 balls. Responding to Australia’s first innings total of 469, India were in trouble at 71/4. A fifth-wicket stand of 71 between Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane (29* off 71) gave the innings a semblance of respectability.

India ended Day 2 at 151/5, with Jadeja being dismissed a few overs before the close of play.

Reflecting on the all-rounder’s batting effort, Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo:

“He [Jadeja] was very upset when he got out. [It] shows the kind of expectations that he has from himself. His batting in Tests has gone to a different level. He has this confidence to keep leaving balls outside the off stump. This is a guy who has got the confidence now and it’s amazing how much it transforms a player. Consistency is the ultimate yardstick to judge a good performer and that is what you see with Jadeja.

“Yet another vital innings against the odds in a tough situation, like the last time he was in England in that one-off Test match with Rishabh Pant. He’s again given India the runs, maybe not enough, but he’s shown his value. He's batting at No. 6 like a proper batter now.”

Since the start of 2022, Jadeja has played eight Tests in which he has scored 511 runs at an average of 51.10, with two hundreds.

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“He only had an attacking mindset” - Brad Haddin reviews Lyon’s dismissal of Jadeja

Jadeja was looking good for a big score when he poked at a flighted delivery from Nathan Lyon outside off stump and nicked the ball to slip.

While analyzing the dismissal, former Aussie keeper-better Brad Haddin hinted that India missed Ravichandran Ashwin and commented:

“Where Nathan Lyon and Ashwin are exactly the same is that you’ve got two bowlers in one. They can hold an end up and build pressure if there is a partnership going or they can attack when the opportunity arises. That is exactly what Nathan Lyon did.

"He was brought on to get the wicket of the left-hander. He only had an attacking mindset and he did his job quickly. He was able to come on and be used as an attacking weapon and not a holding weapon, which is a big difference in the two teams.”

Apart from Lyon, all four Australian pacers claimed one wicket each as Pat Cummins and co. continued their domination in the WTC final.