Ravindra Jadeja explains how he outfoxed Labuschagne and Smith: “Was using the crease to create doubt in mind of batters”

Team India's left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja stated that he made use of the crease to outfox Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith on Day 1 of the first Test against Australia in Nagpur on Thursday, February 9.

Making a comeback after recovering from a knee injury he suffered during the Asia Cup in the UAE last year, Jadeja claimed 5/47 to lead India’s dominance on the opening day of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

The left-arm spinner dismissed both the big names in the Australian line-up - Labuschagne (49) and Smith (37) - with excellent deliveries to give India the upper hand by stumps on Day 1 of the Test.

At a press conference following the end of the first day’s play, Jadeja opened up on his battle with Smith and Labuschagne and explained:

“I was using the crease because all the deliveries were not spinning. To create doubt in the mind of batters, I was going wide of the crease and sometimes bowling from closer to the crease. I was mixing it up.

"Sometimes, the ball spins when the batter moves out of his crease. Luckily, he (Marnus) stepped out and the ball spun. For Smith, the ball went straight.”

While Australia were bundled out for a mere 177 in 63.5 overs, Jadeja disagreed with the observation that the Nagpur surface is a rank turner. Asked for his assessment of the surface, the seasoned cricketer opined that it was slow and the ball didn’t bounce a lot. He elaborated:

“It’s not a rank turner. For a first day pitch, it was slow and there wasn’t a lot of bounce as well compared to other wickets. Defending wasn’t as difficult today for batters, but it will happen as the game progresses. That happens in most Test matches. Definitely not a rank turner.”

Apart from Jadeja, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was also impressive, claiming 3/42. He also became the second-fastest bowler to complete 450 Test scalps.

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“Five months that I missed due to injury pushed me to get fit as soon as possible” - Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja was in great form across the three formats of the game when he suffered a freak injury during the Asia Cup last year. Asked how difficult the path to the comeback was, the Saurashtra cricketer admitted it wasn’t easy, with self-doubt creeping in. Jadeja stated:

“It was difficult. I missed important tournaments in the last five months. As a player, you have doubts in your mind as to whether you will be able to regain the form you had when you got injured.

“The five months that I missed due to injury pushed me to get fit as soon as possible. But I wanted to be 100 percent. That’s why it took some time.”

After Jadeja starred with the ball, Indian captain Rohit Sharma hit a brisk unbeaten half-century as the hosts went to stumps at 77/1.