After a below-par performance in the first two sessions of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, India bounced back strongly in the final session, reducing the hosts to 198 for 7. Ravindra Jadeja, who is playing his first match of the Test series, also played an equally important role, claiming two wickets. Jadeja, who in the past was an integral part of the India ODI set up, lost his limited-over place after some brilliant performances by wrist spinning duo Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. After his handy performance, the Indian all-rounder opened up on his stint on the sidelines and said that he is determined to represent India in all three formats.
“For me the biggest thing is that I am playing for India and maybe some day if I do well, I will be back playing all three formats of the game soon enough. But my aim is to convert any opportunity I get into performance,” he said after stumps on day one.
“When you are playing just one format it is very tough because there is too much gap between matches and the experience (rhythm) you need to play at international level is less. So you have to keep motivating yourself – whenever I get a chance, like in this game, whatever ability I have, I have to give my best on the field.”
“Whenever I get an opportunity to play for India, I will give my best in both aspects – batting and bowling. I want to become a trusted member of the team and I can fulfil the all-rounder slot well because I have done it before in the past. It isn’t anything new to me. It is a matter of time.
“When you are going through a bad patch, you need to play more and more to regain your old form and touch. So it is possible the more I play international cricket, the better I will perform and will be able to make a comeback in all three formats,” he added.
