Indian left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja once again shone with the ball as West Indies ended the second day at 140/4, trailing by 378 runs, in the second and final Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi after the home team declared their first innings at 518/5.
Ravindra Jadeja finished the day with impressive figures of 3/37 from 14 overs on a day which was dominated by the Indian batsmen, especially captain Shubman Gill, who scored a record-breaking century against the West Indies in Delhi.
After shining with 3/37 in Delhi Test, Ravindra Jadeja did not pay much attention to the captaincy discussion.
When he was asked about this after the end of the second day’s play at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the experienced Indian all-rounder made it clear that captaincy or vice-captaincy is no longer on his mind. Notably, Jadeja is currently serving as the vice-captain in the ongoing West Indies Test series.
Also Read: Watch: Brian Lara and Viv Richards disappointed after Roston Chase loses to Ravindra Jadeja in Delhi Test
And most recently, Gill was promoted as India’s ODI captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer was named his deputy ahead of the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia. However, Jadeja had already retired from T20I cricket and was not selected in the ODI squad due to team combinations.
I don’t think about captaincy anymore: Ravindra Jadeja
But Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar insisted that Jadeja is still an integral part of the ODI plans for the ICC World Cup 2027. Amid the noise, Jadeja has insisted that he is focused on contributing with bat and ball whenever the team needs him.
Despite being the vice-captain for the current West Indies Test, Jadeja said the role has not changed his approach, adding that he enjoys sharing his experience with the younger players.
In the press conference after the end of the second day, Ravindra Jadeja said (as quoted by journalist Vimal Kumar): “I don’t think about captaincy or vice-captaincy anymore. I like to bat and bowl whenever I get a chance.”
Also read: Ihsanullah beaten to death in Pakistan after openly challenging Abhishek Sharma
Ravindra Jadeja eyes 2027 World Cup
Jadeja also made it clear that he wants to play in the ICC World Cup 2027 and revealed that he was informed in advance about his exclusion from the Australia tour.
The star all-rounder further added, “I obviously want to play in the 2027 World Cup. It’s always a selection decision. The good thing is that the selectors and the captain talked to me and explained, and I understand the reasons. Everyone’s dream is to win the ODI World Cup.”
He has made adjustments to both his mental approach and batting technique, which has improved his performances. Jadeja admitted that cricket is full of changes and even though they can be changed eventually, the game will always move forward.
Yashasvi Jaiswal highlights India’s strong bowling effort on Delhi’s batting-friendly pitch
Meanwhile, the Delhi pitch has been good for batting so far, yet the Indian bowlers have managed to trouble the West Indies batsmen. Yashasvi Jaiswal said that the pitch is still in good condition and the team will continue to work hard and try to take quick wickets to maintain control of the game.
Yashasvi Jaiswal said in the post-match presentation, “The wicket is still very good; we are bowling very well. We will see if we can get to them as quickly as we can and get them back.”
