Indian left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja once again shone with the ball, as West Indies ended the second day at 140/4, trailing by 378 runs after the home side declared their first innings at 518/5 in the ongoing second and final Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Ravindra Jadeja finished the day with impressive figures of 3/37 in 14 overs to steal the show in a day dominated by Indian batters, notably captain Shubman Gill, who hit a record century against the West Indies in Delhi.
Ravindra Jadeja downplays talk of captaincy after shining with 3/37 in Delhi Test
After the end of the second day at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the seasoned Indian all-rounder made it clear that the position of captain or vice-captain was no longer on his mind when asked about it. Notably, Jadeja is currently the vice-captain of the ongoing Test series in the West Indies.
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And most recently, Gill was elevated to India’s ODI captaincy, replacing Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer was named his deputy ahead of the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia. However, Jadeja has already retired from T20I cricket and was not selected in the ODI squad due to the team combination.
I’m not thinking about captaincy anymore: Ravindra Jadeja
But India chief selector Ajit Agarkar insisted that Jadeja was still an integral part of the ODI plan for the ICC World Cup 2027. Amid the noise, Jadeja stressed that he was only focused on contributing with the bat and ball whenever the team needed him.
Despite being vice-captain of the ongoing West Indies Tests, Jadeja said the role has not changed his approach, saying he enjoys sharing his experience with younger players.
Ravindra Jadeja said in the press conference after the end of the second day (quoted by journalist Vimal Kumar), “I don’t think about captaincy or vice-captaincy anymore. I just love batting and bowling whenever I get a chance.”
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Ravindra Jadeja aims for 2027 World Cup glory
Jadeja also made it clear that he wants to play in the ICC World Cup 2027 and revealed that he was already informed about his omission from the Australia tour.
The star all-rounder further noted, “I obviously want to play in the 2027 World Cup. It’s still a selection decision. The good thing is that the selectors and the captain have spoken to me and explained, and I understand the reasons. Everyone’s dream is to win the ODI World Cup.”
He also made adjustments to both his mental approach and his batting technique, which improved his performance. Jadeja acknowledged that cricket is full of transitions and while he might eventually be replaced, the game will always move forward.
Yashasvi Jaiswal highlights India’s strong bowling effort on batter-friendly pitch in Delhi
Meanwhile, the Delhi pitch has been good for batting so far, but the Indian bowlers have managed to trouble the West Indies batters. Yashasvi Jaiswal noted that the pitch is still in good condition and the team will continue to push hard and try to take wickets quickly to maintain control of the match.
Yashasvi Jaiswal said in the post-match presentation: “The wicket is still pretty good; we are playing very well. We will see as quickly as possible to get to them and get them back.”
