By Trisha Ghosal in London
There’s something about Ravindra Jadeja’s batting this series that reminds me of the carrot cakes during tea at Lord’s—understated, dependable, and deeply satisfying. From Edgbaston to Lord’s, sitting in the press box and watching him unfold innings after innings, you realise just how much he completes India’s batting like dessert completes a meal.
At Edgbaston, Jadeja arrived in chaos. India were cruising at 208/3 when they suddenly lost Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy in successive deliveries. The second new ball was looming. England smelt blood. But Jadeja, in typical post-lunch calm, built a towering stand with Shubman Gill, anchoring the innings with a fluent 89. His strokes weren’t flamboyant, but they had that same comfort as a warm scone on a rainy Birmingham afternoon—solid, familiar, essential.
In the second innings of the same Test, with Gill once again holding one end, Jadeja offered resilience at the other. His unbeaten 69 didn’t scream for attention, but it quietly squeezed England out of the match. While others chased the headlines, Jaddu became the paragraph you read twice—not because it was loud, but because it said the most.
Then came Lord’s. The setting grander, the pressure higher. Rishabh Pant fell before lunch, KL Rahul got to a hundred but departed right after. The innings could’ve derailed. But once again, Jadeja came in, saw off the new ball, and calmly rebuilt with Nitish and Washington Sundar. His 72 was crucial, not just for the scoreboard but for the confidence it injected into the dressing room. It wasn’t flashy—it was a finger sandwich on a silver tray. Neat. Elegant. Timed to perfection.
Across innings—11, 25, 89, 69*, 72—his contributions may not trend, but they always matter. He’s the sugar at the end of India’s main course. The one who takes the innings from “good” to “memorable”. While his bowling and fielding often headline, it’s his batting that’s quietly written match scripts in this series.
Ravindra Jadeja is India’s dessert course. Not every Test needs fireworks at the end. Sometimes, all you need is a little sweetness and stability. And Jaddu, with his willow, has been serving just that.
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Tim Southee on day 3’s proceedings.