Fit all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who starred in India’s 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second T20I, said he was enjoying improving the order and also thanked captain Rohit Sharma for his faith in him.
Returning to action after recovering from a knee injury, Jadeja hammered an 18-ball, 45 not-out shot in 5th place to help India seal a seven-wicket win of the series in Dharamshala on Saturday.
“Yes, I enjoy batting in fifth place. I can take my time and adapt my innings to the situation,” said Jadeja during the press interaction after the game.
“I want to thank Rohit because he trusts me and believes in me that I can go out there and score runs for my team.
“So hopefully if I get an opportunity in the future I’ll try to do my best, play according to the situation and be in the game for my team.”
Remarkably, Jadeja had missed two international appearances – against South Africa and the West Indies – while recovering from a knee injury sustained during the home series against New Zealand in November last year.
In his comeback match in Thursday’s first T20I, Jadeja was promoted to 4th where he scored 3 not from four balls as India hit 199 for 2 en route to a 62-run win.
Skipper Rohit justified his decision by saying that they wanted “more” from the “much improved batter” Jadeja. In the second T20I, India lost both Rohit (1) and Ishan Kishan (16) cheaply on powerplay, while Sanju Samson (39 from 25) failed to convert his start as they were in a difficult position at 128 for 3 and needed 56 runs in the last seven overs when Jadeja came on.
Jadeja praises comeback man Sanju Samson
Jadeja looked in full swing and paired with in-form Shreyas Iyer (74 not out) for an exceptional hitting performance to seal the 17-ball chase.
“I’m feeling better, I’m more confident and I can walk well. I’m glad I played a good inning for my team. Hopefully I can continue like that in the coming games,” he said.
He said the wicket helped a lot too as the ball hit the bat well.
“The wicket was so good, the ball came down well and I just wanted to time the ball. I wasn’t trying too hard. I was just trying to play normal cricket strokes. Shreyas hit well. We tried to play to the end,” he said of her 58-run, 25-ball uninterrupted streak.
Jadeja also praised comeback man Samson, who played a good inning before busting out in the 13th over.
“He played brilliantly. When you play after a long time and score goals, you feel safe. Hopefully he continues in the upcoming games.”
