Jadeja hailed as Team India's MVP after incredible fight at Lord's

London, July 18 (IANS) Head coach Gautam Gambhir joined other members of the team in praising veteran left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s incredible performance in the Lord’s Test against England.

Though Jadeja hit a valiant 61 not out off 181 balls on final day’s play, his fourth successive fifty in Tests, India lost at Lord’s by 22 runs and find themselves 2-1 behind in the five-match series against England.

“That was an incredible fight. The fight from Jaddu was absolutely brilliant,” said Gambhir in a video posted on bcci.tv. on Friday.

Jadeja had shown tremendous grit in keeping India in the hunt for chasing 190. "As a player in the team, Jaddu bhai is extraordinary in fielding, bowling, and batting. The improvement that has come in batting, he makes runs in every important situation for the team. It's very difficult to find such a player for the team. We are lucky to have such a player in our team,” said fast bowler Mohammed Siraj.

Jadeja also shared defiant partnerships of 35 and 23 with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj respectively. "His batting has just reached another level. In the last two Tests the consistency and the calmness he brought to the dressing room. Watching him for so many years and how he's developed his game now, his defence is rock solid, looks like a proper batter," said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.

Sitanshu Kotak, India's batting coach who was team-mates with Jadeja in the Saurashtra team, hailed him as a valuable member of the Test side. "I always felt he has the ability to take pressure. Anyone with so much of experience will be mature. He normally comes with something that the team needs in any challenging conditions. He’s really, really valuable to the team," he said.

India will now be aiming to bounce back in the fourth Test against England at Manchester, starting on July 23, before the fifth and final match of the series takes place at The Oval in London from July 31 to August 4.

--IANS

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