"Both off-spinners were trying to dismiss me lbw" - Ravindra Jadeja on his knock in 1st IND vs AUS Test

Ravindra Jadeja has said that his primary focus was not to get hit on the pads as the Australian spinners were trying to dismiss him leg-before-wicket in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Jadeja played a 70-run knock during India's first innings of the first Test against Australia in Nagpur. Rohit Sharma and Co. posted 400 runs on the board the only time they batted and dismissed the Aussies for 177 and 91 to complete an emphatic innings and 132-run win on Saturday, February 11.

During a post-match interaction on Star Sports, Ravindra Jadeja was asked if he was trying to play with soft hands while tackling the Aussie spinners during his innings, to which he responded:

"Both off-spinners were trying to dismiss me lbw. So I was trying to keep my bat ahead of the pads. There was an umpire's call once, so I survived, but after that, I was looking to keep my bat ahead of the pads every time."

The spin-bowling all-rounder was further asked if he had made any other adjustments, to which he replied:

"I widened my stance slightly because there was not much bounce on the wicket. So I knew the ball would not come above the waist, either it could stay low or go straight. So I set myself up for that - that I shouldn't let the ball hit my pads."

Jadeja played 185 deliveries during his innings and hit nine boundaries. He was finally bowled by Todd Murphy when he left a delivery that came in from an around-the-wicket angle and rattled his stumps.

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"You had to focus on every ball" - Ravindra Jadeja says the wicket was not easy to bat on

Ravindra Jadeja strung together a crucial partnership with Axar Patel. [P/C: BCCI]

Ravindra Jadeja highlighted that the batters had to play every delivery attentively, explaining:

"The sort of wicket it was, it was not that easy. You had to focus on every ball and be mindful while playing every delivery because some balls were turning and some were going straight. It wasn't so easy that you can relax and play."

The left-handed batter added that he didn't feel at home on the Nagpur surface even after he had scored a half-century, saying:

"It was a tough wicket even after scoring a fifty, after getting set. Something or the other was happening on every ball. I felt that when I was bowling also, either it was spinning or keeping low."

Jadeja added 61 and 88 runs with Rohit Sharma and Axar Patel for the sixth and eighth wickets respectively. He was the initial aggressor in his partnership with Axar but opted to play second fiddle to his fellow left-arm spinner once the latter got his eye in.