Ravindra Jadeja on post knee surgery rehab: ‘I worked on my fitness, skills, and rhythm’

India’s radiant all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja made a comeback to international cricket that proved his importance in the Test side as he rolled over the Australian batting lineup with a five-wicket haul in the first innings in Nagpur on Thursday. While Jadeja was effective but didn’t get any wickets in the first session, he ran riot in the second session starting with the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw on back-to-back deliveries. Watch: Ravindra Jadeja rattles Aussies with five-wicket haul Jadeja was playing an international game after more than five months as he was ruled out during the Asia Cup in September 2022 and missed all the action since then. The southpaw trained at the NCA in Bengaluru after undergoing knee surgery and came back to pick up his 11th five-wicket haul.

Ravindra Jadeja 🔥#WTC23 | #INDvAUS | 📝 https://t.co/rzMJy0hUFm pic.twitter.com/gax6JNDPd2

— ICC (@ICC) February 9, 2023

“Very happy with the way I was bowling. I was enjoying my bowling. Playing after 5 months, playing Test cricket, it’s tough. I was prepared for it and I was working hard on my fitness as well as on my skills at NCA," Jadeja said after the close of play on Day 1. Jadeja also said that playing the Ranji match against Chennai gave him a lot of confidence. Jadeja had scalped seven wickets in the second innings of the Ranji match. “I played a first-class game (Ranji) after a long time and I bowled almost 42 overs. It gave me a lot of confidence to come here and play a Test match.” Twitter Reactions: 'Rockstar', 'Master-class' Ravindra Jadeja breaks internet with a five-wicket haul Jadeja also explained his strategy on a surface that did not have a significant turn or bounce for the spinners. “There was no bounce on the wicket, I was targeting the stump-to-stump line. The odd ball was spinning and the odd ball was going straight.” “Being a left-arm spinner, if you get batsmen out caught behind or stumped, you always give credit to the ball. But in Test cricket, whatever wicket you take, you are happy with that,” Jadeja said talking about Labuschagne’s dismissal.

That 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 when @imjadeja let one through Steve Smith's defence! 👌👌

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/SwTGoyHfZx #TeamIndia | #INDvAUS | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/Lj5j7pHZi3

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 9, 2023

“I was working hard on my bowling when I was in Bangalore at the NCA. I was bowling 10-12 overs every day and that helped me a lot. I was also working on my rhythm because I knew that I have to play a Test match and I have to bowl long spells,” Jadeja added when quizzed about his rhythm which didn’t seem to have changed an inch. Jadeja, who has a new hairdo to show his style quotient laughingly said, “There is not much to do at the NCA after two-three hours of training, so you can try new things.” Australia were dismissed for 177 on the back of a significant spell by the left-arm spinner. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.