Ravindra Jadeja has quietly become the most senior player in India’s Test team now.
After players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin stepped away or retired, and others like Rahane and Pujara are no longer part of the setup, Jadeja is one of the few old names left.
“That Ship Has Sailed,” Says Jadeja About Captaincy
Even though Jadeja is now one of the most experienced, his name never really came up when talks were on about who should be the next Test captain.
Instead, people mostly talked about Bumrah, KL Rahul, or Rishabh Pant.
But in the end, Shubman Gill was made captain. At just 24, he’s already leading India in the ongoing Test series against England.
After scoring a solid 89 runs in the second Test at Edgbaston, Jadeja was asked if he ever thought about becoming captain.
“Wo time gaya (that ship has sailed),” he replied with a small laugh, making it clear he’s not chasing that anymore.
Jadeja Talks About Shubman Gill’s Big Knock
Jadeja didn’t just stop there. He spoke about Shubman Gill’s massive 269-run innings and had a funny way of praising him.
He and Gill had built a strong 203-run partnership together.
“You didn’t see how much Shubman Gill has grown?” Jadeja laughed when asked about Gill.
“Shubman scored 269 runs. He was unlucky because aaj lag nahi raha tha ki wo out hoga (today, it never looked like he was going to get out). We were actually talking about building a long partnership,” he added.
His bond with Gill on the field clearly shows how much trust and comfort is there between the two.
Kuldeep Yadav Still Benched, Jadeja Shares His Views
Another big question was about Kuldeep Yadav not playing either of the two Tests.
He’s known for picking wickets, and many fans expected him to play.
Jadeja didn’t ignore the question and spoke about his fellow spinner with a lot of warmth.
“Whenever Kuldeep Yadav gets an opportunity, he’ll do well – he’s a wicket-taker. I spend time with him, but whenever we go out, we never discuss cricket. A player should always focus on controlling the controllables,” Jadeja said.
That last line showed his maturity – that sometimes it’s better to stay calm and not stress about things out of your hands.
India in Strong Spot, But Not Over Yet
At the end of the day’s play, India had pushed England to 77/3.
It looks good for India right now, but the pitch at Edgbaston isn’t really helping the bowlers too much.
There’s still a lot to do, and bowling England out twice won’t be easy.
With Kuldeep still not playing, the spin duties are mainly on Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
If India wants to finish this match strongly, both spinners will have to step up big time.
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