‘I was bowling 10-12 hours everyday at NCA’: Ravindra Jadeja on comeback five-for in first Test vs Australia

“Playing after 5 months, playing Test cricket, it’s tough,” Jadeja said on stumps at day one. “I was prepared for it and I was working hard on my fitness as well as on my skills at NCA. I played a first-class game (Ranji) after a long time and I bowled almost 42 overs. It gave me a lot of confidence to come here and play a Test match.”

That 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 when @imjadeja let one through Steve Smith’s defence! 👌👌

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/SwTGoyHfZx #TeamIndia | #INDvAUS | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/Lj5j7pHZi3

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 9, 2023

Jadeja further added that during his rehab, he would bowl for insane hours while he was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore to be Test match fit.

“I was working hard on my bowling when I was in Bangalore at the NCA. I was bowling 10-12 hours everyday and that helped me a lot. I was working on my rhythm because I knew that I have to play Test match and I have to bowl long spells,” he said.

The left arm orthodox further spoke of the wicket at VCA Nagpur that had been a persistent topic of discussion in the buildup to the first India-Australia Test.

“There was no bounce on the wicket, I was targeting the stump-to-stump line. The odd ball was spinning and the odd ball was going straight. Being a left-arm spinner, if you get batsmen out caught behind or stumped, you always give credit to the ball. In Test match cricket, whatever wicket you take, you are happy with that,” Jadeja said.