Ravindra Jadeja – India’s star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has finally addressed the controversy sparked by England captain Ben Stokes during the second Test at Edgbaston. The match, already laced with tension and verbal exchanges, saw a fresh flashpoint on Day 2 when Jadeja was accused of deliberately damaging the pitch.
England players were quick to raise concerns after Chris Woakes reported to the umpires that Jadeja was stepping into the danger area of the surface. Stokes approached Jadeja directly, saying,
“𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆,”
implying that the rough patches were being created on purpose to aid spin bowling later in the match.
Jadeja Denies Intentional Damage
Jadeja, however, defended himself, clarifying that he had no reason to tamper with the surface.
“𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚. 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕? 𝑴𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈?”
Jadeja told the media after the day’s play.
He further explained that the English captain might have been overthinking the situation.
“𝑯𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑰𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕, 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒚 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔,” 𝑱𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒋𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
According to the Indian all-rounder, any movement near the danger area was unintentional.
“𝑰 𝒓𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅,”
he remarked, adding that India would focus on executing their plans if given the chance to bowl on the next day.
A Crucial Partnership with Gill
Despite the off-field drama, Jadeja played a vital role in India’s batting performance. He anchored one end during a memorable 203-run partnership with skipper Shubman Gill. Jadeja’s composure allowed Gill to play freely and put pressure on England’s relatively inexperienced bowling attack.
India will look to build on their strong position and convert their advantage into a decisive lead as the match progresses.
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