"There was nothing to do after 2 hours of training" - Ravindra Jadeja on his new hairstyle during 1st IND vs AUS Test

Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja marked his return to international cricket with a five-wicket haul in the first Test against Australia at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday, February 9.

Jadeja was resilient with his line and length and picked up the crucial scalps of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and Peter Handscomb, among others. Riding on his stellar show, the visitors were skittled out for just 177 runs.

Besides his superb bowling, what caught everyone's attention was Jadeja's new hairstyle - a ponytail. Throwing light on his new hairdo while talking to the host broadcaster at the end of the day's play, the all-rounder said:

"Was at NCA, there was nothing to do after two hours of training, so, I got some time to do something with my hair."

Incidentally, Jadeja was out of action for several months after suffering an injury during the 2023 Asia Cup. He returned to action last month, representing Saurashtra in a Ranji Trophy game against Tamil Nadu. He picked up eight wickets, including a seven-wicket haul in the second innings, and also scored 40-odd runs across two essays.

The ace all-rounder stressed that the Ranji Trophy game in Chennai did a world of good to his confidence ahead of the first Test.

"I played first-class cricket after a long time, gave my a lot of confidence to come here and do well here," he added.

Jadeja picked up his 11th five-wicket haul in 61 Tests and is three wickets shy of 250 Test scalps.

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"I was bowling 10-12 hours every day" - Ravindra Jadeja on his preparations ahead of the Test series

The 34-year-old spent a good few months at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to get his fitness and rhythm back. The all-rounder highlighted that he used to work long hours to get himself ready for international cricket.

"Was working harder on my bowling when I was in Bangalore, I was bowling ten to twelve hours every day, I was working on my rhythm, I knew I had to be bowling long spells and rhythm holds the key," he said. "First thing is to gain confidence, playing after a long time, don't have to think too much about the injury, just go out there to enjoy, grabbed it with both the hands."

Meanwhile, in response, Rohit Sharma got India off to a flying start. They are 77/1 at stumps on Day 1 with Rohit (56*) and nightwatchman Ravichandran Ashwin (0*) in the middle.

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