Jadeja made 77 and added 69 runs with Rahul to save India from blushes on day 4 of Gabba Test.
India batter KL Rahul showered rich praise on teammate Ravindra Jadeja for his amazing knock on day 4 of the ongoing third BGT 2024 Test in Brisbane.
After warming the bench for the first two Tests, Jadeja was allowed to play XI in Brisbane, however, his bowling performance was not satisfactory. Following skipper Rohit Sharma's early retirement, Rahul and Jadeja put on a 67-run stand for the sixth wicket to steady the Indian innings.
Jadeja continued when KL Rahul fell for 84 runs and shepherded the tailenders brilliantly to get India close to the follow-on target.
KL Rahul was all praise for Jadeja's batting prowess lower down the order as he once again rescued India from a tricky situation.
“Jadeja was brilliant today. He has been brilliant batting down the order for us for many, many years. That’s what we expect from Jadeja. He’s proven that he can do this and he’s done this for so many years. I was also really happy that, firstly, I could stitch a partnership with him when he came in," said Rahul at the press conference.
Rahul emphasized that Jadeja's knock was crucial, as he was able to form little partnerships with the tail to lead India's comeback when they were in danger of following on.
“It was really needed at that stage. And then he went on to score 70-80 runs with the tailenders. Every run today was crucial for us just to get past that follow-on firstly. And see how much or how many runs we can put on board. So, he made that possible. And, yeah, he’s a very experienced guy. He’s played there for so many years,” he added.
Jadeja was finally dismissed for 77 runs and then Jasprit Bumrah (10*) and Akash Deep (27*) forged a 39-run unbeaten stand for the 10th wicket to take India to safety. India finished on 252/9 on day 4, with rain ending the play early.
“Jadeja understands exactly what he needs to do and how he needs to perform and get runs for the team at that stage. Often, it’s only Jadeja’s bowling that’s spoken about. But I think he’s been a great performer even with the bat. He has a really solid technique and I enjoy batting with him. I enjoy watching him play and watching him train at practice. He seems to have his game plan really simple and really sorted. So, really happy that he could come into the team and do the job for us,” added Rahul.
(ANI inputs)