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Saurashtra coach Sitanshu Kotak on what makes Ravindra Jadeja such a dangerous bowler on turning wickets and why India made the right decision by recalling him to the Test side.
He fell out of favour after some below-par performances in Test cricket but it didn’t take long for Ravindra Jadeja to power his way back, courtesy of some strong performances in domestic cricket.
Playing for Saurashtra, Jadeja has been in sizzling form, claiming 24 wickets in two games including five-wicket hauls in all four innings he has played so far this season.
And he made some vital contributions with the bat too, hitting 149 runs with two half-centuries on wickets assisting spinners.
Saurashtra coach Sitanshu Kotak believes Indian selectors made the right choice by recalling Jadeja, who he feels is the best left-arm spinner in the country and can be lethal on turning wickets.
“He is the kind of bowler who is difficult to deal with on wickets which assist spinners. To me, he is one of the best bowlers in India on a turning wicket,” Kotak told Rediff.com
What probably went in Jadeja’s favour was his superb record in his last home series, when he claimed 24 wickets in four Tests to help the hosts whitewash Australia 4-0, in 2013.
“I was pretty sure he would be picked in the Test team because India would definitely want to play South Africa on turning wickets. And, I knew that if they are looking for a left-arm spinner then Jadeja is the best possible option in the country. In the last Test series in India, he took 24 wickets against Australia [in 2013],” Kotak added.
Jadeja, 26, has the remarkable ability to bowl with control and build the pressure from his end by drying up runs, which Kotak believes makes him effective in the longer format.
“His control makes him more dangerous. Plus the other thing is, he does not give any loose deliveries and on a turning wicket if you try and get him away you will end up throwing your wicket. He doesn’t give runs and is capable of bowling a lot of overs non-stop, like for Saurashtra in a Ranji Trophy game this season he bowled nearly 27 overs on the trot,” he added.
Kotak, who played nearly two decades for Saurashtra, before taking over as coach has seen Jadeja from close quarters in the last few years. He believes that the left-hander is yet to fully utilise his batting potential in Tests, having scored just 364 runs in 12 Tests at a modest average of 21 with just one half-century.
He revealed that they have worked on the left-hander’s batting during the practice sessions for Saurashtra.
“In the batting, we worked on some things like the initial movement and the balance which I think should help him. We worked on his balance and his head position while at the crease. We worked on his batting mindset too. I told him, 'even if you are batting at No. 7, you should think like you are batting at No. 4 or No. 5 and bat like a proper batsman. Forget who is batting with you at the other end, just concentrate on your own batting and look to play a big innings',” Kotak added.
Kotak also suggested a few changes Jadeja could introduce in his bowling, which could make him a lot more effective.
“If he gets time, maybe at the end of the season, like a month or so, I would like him to work on varying his pace. Turn won’t be an issue because he is trying to bring his hand higher and that will help in turning the ball anyway. And if he starts varying his pace then his bowling won’t be predictive and the batsmen won’t be able to predict the line and play through the line.
I would like him to work on change of pace and if you look at Ashwin, he does it very well. And when you vary the pace, the flight will also vary a little bit. So with the control he has, if he manages to vary the pace and keeps the same line and length, he will be a perfect left-arm spinner, in every format,” he claimed.