Ravindra Jadeja credits coach Gautam Gambhir for his batting success
What's the story
Ravindra Jadeja, India's star all-rounder, has credited head coach Gautam Gambhir for his recent batting success. The left-handed batsman revealed that the shift to No. 6 in the batting order has made him think "more as a proper batter." Jadeja played a crucial role in India's 2-0 Test series win over West Indies, where he scored a century and took eight wickets across two matches. He was adjudged the Player of the Series.
Mindset change
Jadeja on Gambhir's influence
Jadeja, who was previously batting in the lower middle order, said the change has transformed his thinking. "As Gauti bhai (Gambhir) said, I'm at number six now. So I'm thinking more as a proper batsman, and that works for me," he said after India's win in the second Test against West Indies. The all-rounder emphasized that this new approach has greatly benefited him during the series.
Team spirit
More on team's success than individual records
Jadeja stressed that his focus is more on contributing to the team's success rather than individual records. "I'm just trying to spend more time in the middle whenever I get a chance to bat. To be honest, I don't think too much about records. I just focus on contributing with both bat and ball to help my team win," he said.
Exploits
Jadeja's all-round exploits versus WI
As mentioned, Jadeja was adjudged the Player of the Series for his all-round exploits. While the southpaw didn't bat in Delhi, he took 3/46 and 1/102 across two innings. In the series opener in Ahmedabad, Jadeja slammed an unbeaten 104 besides taking 0/15 and 4/54. This helped India win by an innings. Jadeja, who has retired from T20Is, remains India's mainstay all-rounder in Test cricket.
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Jadeja at No. 6
According to ESPNcricinfo, Jadeja averages an incredible 56.83 with the bat at No. 6 in Test cricket. He has scored over 1,023 runs from 22 Tests with two tons at this position. Jadeja averages 37.17 from 38 Tests at No. 7.