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Ravindra Jadeja scored 50 against England on third day of Mohali Test.
Ravindra Jadeja’s traditional celebrations of bat brandishing as if it is a sword was put to display once again on Day 3 of the India vs England Test match in Mohali. The Saurashtra player reached his 3rd Test fifty against England in the first innings of the contest to indulge in what has come to be known as “sword dance” with swift movement of the willow on a milestone.
Jadeja reached his third fifty from 104 balls against England – in what is the first instance of the spinner playing 100 balls – after he worked the ball to the leg side off Adil Rashid. The milestone allowed Jadeja to play with the willow with the strong left wrist in complete Rajputana style.
LIVE CRICKET: India vs England, 3rd Test in Mohali
This isn’t the first instance of Jadeja’s sword dance. It gathered plenty of eyeballs when he did the same during his first Test fifty celebrations at Lord’s in 2014.
The second instance came more recently when he reached the fifty mark against New Zealand in what was Kanpur’s first Test match at the Green Park. However, there was a bit of trolling involved too when Virat Kohli trolled Jadeja from the pavillion and asked him to come back for the team was declaring their inning. Kohli imitated Jadeja’s celebrations when the spinner failed to notice the order to come back with India well into the ascendancy.
In Mohali, Jadeja came to the middle at a tricky time for the Indian side with Kohli dismissed and India 204/6 in reply to England’s 283. He joined his fellow spin compatriot R Ashwin to turn things around for the hosts after a middle order collapse.
Watch @imjadeja do the traditional sword dance with his bat as he brings up his FIFTY!!! @Paytm Test Cricket #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/z1EWOUC8ZC
— BCCI (@BCCI) 28 November 2016
The duo put together 97 runs to give India the lead before Ashwin departed on the morning of day’s play. Thereafter, Jadeja and Jayant Yadav started to collect runs and inflate India’s lead. At the end of the first session, Jadeja stood unbeaten on 70 with India on 354/7 and ahead by 71 runs.
WATCH: First instance of Jadeja’s sword dance in Test cricket was at Lord’s
WATCH: Jadeja’s celebrations at Kanpur and Kohli’s imitation
India lead 1-0 in the five-match Test series against England with Tests in Mumbai and Bengaluru to come.
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