Ravindra Jadeja eyes 300th Test wicket in series opener
Ravindra Jadeja, India's star all-rounder, is on the verge of achieving a significant milestone. He is just four wickets away from claiming his 300th Test wicket. The ongoing opening Test against Bangladesh in Chennai presents an ideal opportunity for him to reach this landmark. Jadeja has already demonstrated his batting prowess in the first innings, and now aims to mirror this success with the ball.
Jadeja and Ashwin's partnership rescues India
The first innings of the ongoing Test match saw India's top order crumble, with key players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill being dismissed early. However, a resilient partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin helped stabilize the team's position. Jadeja scored a crucial 86 off 124 balls while Ashwin contributed an impressive 113 off 133 balls. This partnership steered India to a total of 376 runs on Day 2.
Jadeja's bowling prowess restricts Bangladesh to 149
Jadeja continued his impressive performance into the second innings, restricting Bangladesh to just 149 runs with a spell of 19/2. This took his Test wicket tally to 296, inching him closer to the coveted 300-wicket milestone. The all-rounder expressed optimism about reaching this landmark during the series. He stated, "It's a good opportunity to take the 300th wicket on this ground."
Here are his bowling numbers
Jadeja now owns 296 scalps from 73 Tests, averaging 24-plus. He has 13 fifers. Against Bangladesh, the left-arm spinner has scalped eight scalps. 215 of his scalps have come at home at 20-plus. Notably, Ashwin and Kapil Dev are the only other Indian all-rounders with the double of 3,000 runs and 250 wickets in Test cricket.
Jadeja outlines strategy for remaining Test match
Jadeja shared India's strategy for the remainder of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh. He emphasized the need to score around 120-150 more runs and then focus on dismissing Bangladesh as early as possible. Despite a pitch favorable for batting, Jadeja noted that there were opportunities for pacers as well. "Odd ball was seaming, odd ball was swinging, it's not that easy for batters," he said.
