CUTTACK: Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, who came up with another impressive performance in the second ODI against England, believes his recent stint in domestic cricket in the Ranji Trophy helped him get into the right rhythm even for the white-ball 50-over format.
Jadeja played two Ranji Trophy matches for Saurashtra before the England series but bowled in only one of them, against Delhi – 30 overs for 12 wickets across the two innings.
It was the perfect way to prepare and he has continued his good form from there on, pocketing six wickets from the 19 overs he has bowled in the first two games of the England ODI series. His pivotal performance ahead of the Champions Trophy, beginning in just about a week from now, will also be a confidence booster for the entire team.
Jadeja credited the short stint in domestic cricket for maintaining his rhythm despite returning to the format after long, largely due to lesser ODIs being played these days.
“It feels really good, especially after almost two years – since the (ODI) World Cup. Coming back into this format requires quick adaptation, but I believe the domestic matches I played helped me a lot,” the veteran allrounder said.
“In the match (against Delhi), I bowled more than 30 overs, which helped me maintain my rhythm, so I never lost my rhythm. I’m trying to bowl Test lines and lengths in ODIs as well. What we call rhythm, continuity, was in place because my break from cricket wasn’t that long. So in my view, I have benefited from the domestic match that I played,” he added.
Following the debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) issued a mandate that barring injuries or workload-management issues, top players have to turn out for their Ranji Trophy state teams whenever free from national duty.
Jadeja acknowledging the benefits of the move appears to be a vindication of the board’s views.