'Firstly, I had this fear… personally I had thought that I won't lose a series in India as long as I am playing. But that too has happened.'
Ravindra Jadeja feels that it is unfair to blame specific individuals for 10 minutes of collective poor show that has left India in a precarious position on the opening day of the third and final Test against New Zealand.
India collapsed from a secured 78 for one to totter at 86 for four in a short span of time during the closing stages of play as dismissals of Rohit Sharma (18), Virat Kohli (4) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (30) left the hosts in a bit of a quandary.
“It all unfolded in a mere 10 minutes, (we) did not get any time to react. But it happens, it is a team game, any individual cannot be blamed specifically… small mistakes keep happening,” Jadeja told the media after end of play.
The senior all-rounder expected some solid show from the remaining batters.
"But the next batters will have to forge partnerships and try and get past (the score of) 230 (235), only then the second innings will come into play. It will be good if the batters who are lined up to play next make their contributions.”
He believes that the Indian team still has a shot at winning this Test.
“We still have a chance. It is not the case that we are out of the match. Hopefully, we would bat well tomorrow and given that there is something happening on the wicket, if we also bowl well, then it will be good,” he added.
With India suffering yet another collapse, Jadeja thwarted the notion that repetitive failure of specialist batters is putting pressure on the lower order.
Pressure is always there. It is not that when the top-order does not perform, the pressure is always there on the lower order. When the top-order does perform, even then there is pressure on the lower-order as to why they are not doing it?” he replied.
Jaiswal was cleaned up while attempting a reverse slog sweep off Ajaz Patel, who then trapped nightwatchman Mohammed Siraj leg-before off the very next delivery.
In at No 5, Kohli attempted a risky single only to be run out as India endured yet another poor passage of play to cede advantage to the Kiwis.
Jadeja acknowledged India's poor returns in first innings across the three Tests against New Zealand has been a key reason for their decline.
“Sometimes, when you are down 0-2, it takes time for you to do anything, or even to bounce back. We have not done enough in the first innings from the first Test and have been behind in the game," he said.
“Even in Pune, we did not bat well and repeated the same mistakes and have been lagging behind.”
Jadeja said losing a Test series at home was something he never thought would happen as long as he was playing, adding that the Indian team has set the expectations really high.
"Firstly, I had this fear… personally I had thought that I won't lose a series in India as long as I am playing. But that too has happened,” he said.
“We won 18 series (at home), I thought as long as I am playing Test cricket in India we won't lose a series but that has happened, so I am not surprised with anything (that is happening).”
He continued, “We have set the expectations really high. Since last 12 years we did not lose a single series. I think we have lost a total of five Test matches in which I played.”
"I think this is a good achievement but when you set such high expectations and lose a series, it stands out and that is what is happening.”
The veteran all-rounder conceded Indian players will have to collectively shoulder the responsibility of series loss to New Zealand.
“When we win, we lift the trophy together. Now that we have lost the series, all 15 in the team will take the blame collectively,” he said.
After the defeat in Pune where Indian spinners were collectively outplayed by their Kiwi counterparts, skipper Rohit had backed the pair of Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin saying the venerable pair too is allowed a failure given their stellar run in home Tests.
Jadeja welcomed Rohit's backing and said, “It is good that the captain's trust is there, he knows what we have done for the team in last 12 years — be it with our batting or bowling.”
“We have performed for the team, tried to take team out of difficult situations, but sometimes it (losses) happens,” he added.
