India managed to avoid the follow-on in a dramatic fashion in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. While Akash Deep scored the crucial runs down the order, it was the knocks from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja that really helped India go past the follow-on score.
Both Rahul and Jadeja came together when India were struggling at 74-5 with more than 150 runs still needed to avoid the follow-on. Both the batters had a simple plan to bide their time and punish the bad balls on offer.
It worked as they frustrated the Australian bowlers and took India closer to the follow-on score. Rahul and Jadeja stitched together a vital partnership of 67 runs for the sixth wicket before Rahul was dismissed by the offspinner Nathan Lyon.
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KL Rahul hails Ravindra Jadeja after a fine knock
After the end of the day’s play, KL Rahul did a press conference in which he was asked various questions. When Rahul was asked about Jadeja’s knock, he was full of praise for him and lauded the allrounder for a special knock under pressure. He praised Jadeja for adding crucial runs with the tail which helped India avoid the follow-on.
“He (Ravindra Jadeja) was brilliant today and he has been brilliant for batting down the order for us for many years. That’s what we expect of (Ravindra) Jadeja and he has proved that he can do this and he has done this for so many years. So, really happy that firstly I could stitch a partnership with him,” Rahul said to the reporters.
“It was really needed at that stage and then he went on to score 70-80 runs with the tail. Every run today was crucial for us to get past that follow-on firstly and see how many runs we can put on board. He made that possible,” he added.
“I enjoy batting with him” – KL Rahul on Ravindra Jadeja
KL Rahul further called Ravindra Jadeja a highly experienced player who knows how to play in a certain situation. He praised Jadeja’s improved batting and claims that the allrounder has all his plans sorted.
“He is a very experienced guy, played there for so many years, so he understands exactly what he needs to do and how he needs to perform and get runs for the team at that stage,” Rahul stated.
“Often, it’s only Jadeja’s bowling that’s spoken about but I think he has been a great performer even with the bat. He has a solid technique. I enjoy batting with him, I enjoy watching him play. Watching him train, practice, he seems to have his game plan pretty simple and sorted. So, really happy that he could come into the team and do the job for us,” he concluded.
KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja the stars of India
KL Rahul top-scored for India with 84 off 139 balls. He struck 8 fours during his knock in which he looked mostly solid and weathered the storm of some incredible bowling from Australian quicks.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja was the second-highest run-scorer for India in this innings. The left-hander scored 77 off 123 balls with 7 fours and 1 six. Despite losing Rahul, Jadeja continued to bat with the tail and helped India go past the follow-on target.