‘Hope they are not searching for Ravindra Jadeja’s duplicate’- India’s second Test against Australia heats up with ex-player’s bold statement
Ravindra Jadeja (Source: Twitter)
India defeated Australia in the opening game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test by an inning and 132 runs. India dominated the game in Nagpur, controlling it from beginning to end. Pat Cummins, the visiting captain, chose to bat first after winning the toss.
The visitors had put in some serious training, but it didn’t seem to matter since Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were simply too good for them to face on the Nagpur surface, which provided some assistance to the spinners.
The Australian team had chosen to train in nets rather than play in the warm-up games prior to the series. They also got Mahesh Pithiya, a “copy” of Ravichandran Ashwin, to help him gain greater confidence when facing the India spinner during the game. The strategy did not succeed, though, as Ashwin took eight wickets in the Nagpur Test.
You can’t prepare to face one of all-time greats by facing a young first-class player: Mohammad Kaif
Jadeja, who also received the Player of the Match award, was a key performer in the opening Test. In India’s lone batting innings, Jadeja not only scored 70 runs but also took seven wickets. Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif made fun of the visitors while referencing the Australian team’s preparations to face Ravichandran Ashwin before the Nagpur Test.
“Australia now knows the difference between facing duplicate Ashwin and real Ashwin. You can’t prepare to face one of all-time greats by facing a young first-class player. Hope they not searching for a Jadeja duplicate in Delhi,” wrote Kaif on Twitter.
The second match of the series will be played in Delhi on February 17, the third one will be played in Indore on March 1, and the final test will be played in Ahmedabad on March 9.
After the completion of the BGT 2023, Men in Blue will lock horns with the Kangaroos in three-match ODI series which will be played in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, and in Chennai on March 1, March 19, and March 22 respectively.
