“He showed why he was picked”

Out-of-favour Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara praised veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his pivotal knock on Day 4 (Tuesday, December 17) of the ongoing third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at The Gabba.

The 36-year-old reached seventh place when India were in a precarious position, having lost half their team by just 74 runs. Jadeja looked solid and put together a vital partnership of 67 runs off 115 balls with KL Rahul, helping India fight back. While Rahul was dismissed for 84 off 139 balls, Jadeja showed great resilience, reaching his 22nd Test fifty off 82 balls.

speaking in star sportsPujara said the partnership between KL Rahul and Jadeja was crucial and the veteran all-rounder showed why he was selected for the team. He said:

“The partnership between KL and Jadeja was the standout partnership of this innings and now things are looking much better. And KL has shown that if you try hard, if you bat well, it is a good pitch where you can score runs. “It’s not a very difficult pitch that you can’t survive or that you can’t hit.”

He added:

“So yeah, I mean, it’s just about seeing through that new ball and KL showed that today. And even a big contribution from Ravindra because he was picked as a batsman and he showed why he was picked.”

At the time of writing, the visitors were 194-7 after 60 overs, with Jadeja still at the crease on 59, while Mohammed Siraj was yet to score. India trails by 251 runs, and Australia scored 445 in their first innings, bolstered by centuries from Steven Smith (101) and Travis Head (152).

Ravindra Jadeja averages over 50 with the bat in Tests in Australia

After being sidelined during the first two Tests, Ravindra Jadeja has proven his worth in the ongoing third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Playing his fifth Test in Australia, Jadeja has so far scored 234 runs in six innings at an average of 58.50, including three fifties. Furthermore, he has taken 14 wickets.