KOLKATA: India head coach Rahul Dravid had said on Saturday that Ravindra Jadeja was bowling exceptionally well, but his performance had gone a little under the radar as the seamers were doing exceptionally well too.
Jadeja seemed to have heard that and decided to take things in his hand with a career-best haul of five for 33 in the World Cup match against South Africa here on Sunday. This is the second time that the left-arm spinner has taken five wickets in an ODI match. He relegated his five for 36 in 2013 against the West Indies to the second place.
“No, I had not heard him (Dravid) say that,” Jadeja laughed off suggestions that he had been spurred by the head coach’s words. “We know that in Kolkata we will get wickets that are slow and helpful to spinners, so we had gone into the match with that mindset. The bounce is always low at the Eden.”
He added that batting was a lot more difficult in the first innings and lauded Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer’s effort. “When they (South Africa) were batting, the wicket had eased out a lot,” he said.
He added that it always helps spinners when the pacers 2-3 quick wickets. “Our pacers are doing that and more consistently. When we (spinners) come in to bowl, we are already at an advantage.”
The fact that Kohli was celebrating his 35th birthday wasn’t really on the Indians’ mind. “Such things keep happening and they don’t change things much. Of course, a win and a century on a birthday makes it doubly special, but we don’t use them as motivation or anything.”
But they do prepare for the dew. “If the dew happens, a lot of things change,” he said. “If the ball gets wet, gripping might be difficult and even a regular team starts looking good. So, we do have that in mind when we prepare.”
1/10:World Cup: Virat Kohli leads India stat attack against South Africa
PTI
2/10:Virat level with Sachin
<p>India's Virat Kohli equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI hundreds as unbeaten World Cup hosts India thrashed fellow semi-finalists South Africa by 243 runs on Sunday. </p>AFP
3/10:Virat Kohli
<p>Virat Kohli's 101 not out was the centrepiece of India's 326/5 before they skittled out South Africa for 83, with Ravindra Jadeja taking 5/33 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. <br /></p>ANI
4/10:49 ODI tons
<p>Sachin Tendulkar took 452 innings to score 49 ODI hundreds while Virat Kohli reached the milestone in 277 innings. </p>PTI
5/10:Virat Kohli vs SA
<p>This was the fifth ODI century for Virat Kohli against South Africa - joint most by a player against them alongside Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner. </p>Getty Images
6/10:Birthday ODI ton
<p>Virat Kohli is the seventh batsman in the world to score an ODI century on his birthday and third to have done it in World Cup games. </p>PTI
7/10:Marco Jansen
<p>Marco Jansen, 9.4-0-94-1, is the most expensive spell by a South Africa bowler in a World Cup game. </p>AP
8/10:Ravindra Jadeja
<p>Ravindra Jadeja's 5/33 is the second best spell for an Indian spinner in World Cups after Yuvraj Singh's 5/31 vs Ireland in Bengaluru 2011. </p>AP
9/10:SA's lowest WC total
<p>83 all out is South Africa's lowest total made at any World Cup and the 243-run loss is their biggest ODI defeat by runs. </p>Reuters
10/10:2nd-lowest ODI total
<p>83 all out is South Africa's second-lowest ODI total, behind their 69 against Australia at Sydney in 1993. </p>IANSSouth Africa head coach Rob Walters conceded that they had lost to a better side. “India are hell of a side, highly and skilled,” he said. “We didn’t execute our plans.”
He repeatedly referred to the environment where a crowd close to 70,000 is cheering for the rival team. “There was always an excitement in playing here at the Eden Gardens,” he said, admitting that youngsters like Marco Jansen can get overawed. The South African seamers had an ‘off’ day Walter is sure he will bounce back.
