Rahul Dravid on Ravindra Jadeja’s ‘fitness’ test in Nagpur: “We gave him a real test on the first day, made him bowl 22 overs”

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid asserted that he is really happy with how Ravindra Jadeja pulled up in his comeback Test match in Nagpur. According to the former India captain, the game was a test of the all-rounder’s physical fitness, which he passed with flying colors.

Jadeja made a much awaited comeback to international cricket after recovering from a freak knee injury which he picked up during the Asia Cup in the UAE last year. The 34-year-old Saurashtra cricketer came up with an incredible all-round effort, claiming seven wickets and scoring a crucial 70 runs. He was named Player of the Match for his excellent performance.

At a press conference on Wednesday, February 15, Dravid was asked about his assessment on Jadeja’s performance on comeback in Nagpur. He stated:

“Couldn’t be more happy. Couldn’t be more pleased. We gave him a real test on the first day, we made him bowl 22 overs, so there was no slacking off. There was some thought about easing him into the Test match. But the way he was bowling, he just continued bowling. That was a great test for him physically. He passed that test. He’s pulled up really well.”

Jadeja claimed 5/47 in the first innings of the opening Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 Test as Australia were bundled out for 177. The visitors could not recover from a poor start and ended up being hammered by an innings and 132 runs.

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“Rohit was the glue that held the innings together” - Rahul Dravid on Indian captain’s Nagpur hundred

After Jadeja’s heroics with the ball, Indian captain Rohit Sharma scored a magnificent 120 to lead the hosts’ response. Jadeja and Axar Patel (84) then made key contributions with the bat as India put up exactly 400 on the board. Terming Rohit’s knock as the defining innings of the Test, Dravid said:

“Rohit scoring a hundred was absolutely brilliant. That set the platform for Jadeja and then Axar to seal that game for us. To be able to restrict Australia to 177 after we lost the toss was a big credit to the bowlers. Even in the first innings, we kept the pressure on. (In the batting) Rohit was the glue that held the innings together."

On India’s batting approach in the first Test, the 50-year-old explained that they tried to strike a balance between defense and attack. Dravid elaborated:

“Sometimes on tricky wickets, I won’t say tricky wickets, different conditions, you need to play it slightly differently. There is a balance that you need to strike between defense and being able to put the pressure back on the opposition bowlers. On these wickets, if you are not able to put the pressure back, it can build to a point where you can lose 2-3 quick wickets.”

Having taken a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, India will meet Australia in the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from February 17 to 21.