India were five down for 74 and in desperate need of a partnership. Rohit Sharma had yet again failed and the pressure was mounting. KL Rahul was looking assured but needed support. A loss in this Test match would mean India go to Melbourne 1-2 down and, all of a sudden, Australia literally be able to smell the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. That’s how important Ravindra Jadeja’s contribution was. Potentially, the difference between a draw and a defeat.
Under pressure, Jadeja, as he has so often done in the past, played one of his best Test innings. Finally, it was evident that Pat Cummins and Australia had started to feel frustrated. The way Mitchell Starc reacted to a rain delay was evidence. It could be that they don’t win this one, and if that happens, it will be a huge opportunity lost.
Jadeja the Test player has yet again added gloss to what has been a stellar career. He is certainly not just a home-series superhero. Rather, he is as good as anyone overseas. He can, in adverse conditions, deliver with both bat and ball. He can pick up wickets and also contain if need be. And as a batter, he can walk into the team. The sword dance was seen in Brisbane, and this time with a promise to come out much more frequently.
Jadeja, it seems, has finally made peace with himself as a Test-match batter. He doesn’t have to try too hard, for he is confident about what he is capable of. Assured of where his off stump is, there was hardly a false shot on offer all innings. In fact, the one boundary off Cummins at the very end of the innings was an aberration. Against Nathan Lyon, for example, Jadeja looked completely at ease. Full stretch while defending, never did it seem that the off-spinner had a chance.
Against Starc and Cummins, not once did it seem that Jadeja was playing his first Test of the series. Rather, the moment he came out to bat, India started looking assured. It was the best partnership of the innings, and all of a sudden, there were no demons in the pitch.
The job, however, isn’t done yet. And Jadeja will know it. Australia will come hard on day 5, and India will still need to work hard to save the game. But from what we have seen so far, it is true that India now have a realistic chance to achieve a jailbreak and go to Melbourne unscathed. With Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep making sure that the Jadeja effort got its due, he will feel a lot happier now.
In 2021, it was Ajinkya Rahane’s 100 in Melbourne that changed the tide. No less important was Jadeja’s batting half-century. For a team that were all out for 36 in the previous game, it was an infusion of oxygen. That’s what has happened in Brisbane as well. Going into Melbourne on even terms will give the Indian batting unit a lot of confidence. India should not, or rather can’t, drop Jadeja from here on. Play another spinner by all means, but don’t drop your premier all-rounder.