Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir was among team colleagues in giving Ravindra Jadeja a hearty round of applause for his gritty show in the Lord's Test against England.
Though India was defeated by 22 runs in the highly competitive match, Jadeja's grit was one of the top highlights.
Jadeja, who batted with unyielding resolve, scored an unbeaten 61 off 181 balls on the last day. This was his fourth successive half-century in Test cricket. Although the loss left India behind 2-1 in the five-match series, the all-rounder's effort won appreciation from everyone.
"That was an amazing battle. The battle by Jaddu was just tremendous," Gambhir stated in a video posted by the BCCI on Friday.
Jadeja's determination was seen as he kept India's pursuit of 190 afloat, scoring vital stands of 35 and 23 runs against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj individually. Speaking about his colleague's all-round brilliance, Siraj mentioned, "As a team player, Jaddu bhai is superb in the field, with the ball, and with the bat. The sort of batting improvement that has happened, he makes runs in every crucial moment for the team.". It is extremely hard to get such a player for the team. We are fortunate to have such a player in our team."
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate was also in high praise of the veteran left-hander, particularly his consistency and calmness. "His batting has just another level. In the last two Tests the consistency and the calmness he brought to the dressing room. Watching him for so many years and how he's developed his game now, his defence is rock solid, looks like a proper batter," he observed.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, who previously shared a dressing room with Jadeja in Saurashtra's domestic team, has talked about the veteran player's maturity and worth. "I always used to feel he has the potential to handle pressure. Anybody having so much of experience will be mature. He usually comes with something the team requires in any kind of tough situation. He's extremely, extremely valuable to the team," Kotak said.
India will attempt to level the series in the fourth Test, to be played from July 23 in Manchester. The fifth and last Test will then be played at The Oval in London between July 31 and August 4.
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