England vs India, 5th Test: Gautam Gambhir Lauds Ravindra Jadeja for Spectacular Show

Out of favour Indian opening batsman, Gautam Gambhir lauded the effort of the Team India bowlers including Ravindra Jadeja for an outstanding display on the opening day of the fifth and the final Test against England at the Kennington Oval in London.

England batted quite well in the first two sessions. However, the Indian bowlers kept things under check and conceded only 123 in the first 59 overs. However, they got back among the wickets n the final session.

It was Jasprit Bumrah, who started the slide with the wicket of Alastair Cook. He then bagged skipper Joe Root in the same over. In the very next over it was Ishant Sharma, who sent Jonny Bairstow back to the pavilion.

Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran also fell in quick succession as England were reduced to 198 for seven at the end of the opening day’s play.

“A great effort by India. Obviously again losing the toss and England decided to bat. At one stage  England was 133/1 and then pushing them back to 198/7 was a fantastic effort. I thought Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah was unbelievable. So was Mohammed Shami,” Gambhir said in his video column for the Times of India.

Gambhir gave special mention to Jadeja who controlled the game from one end. He bowled 24 overs and bagged the wickets of Keaton Jennings and Ben Stokes giving away only 57 runs. Gambhir said it was imperative for Jadeja to control the game at one stage.

“Special mention to Ravindra Jadeja because on Day 1 the way he controlled the game from one end was very important. Because if India is playing four fast bowlers, it was important for a spinner to control the game from one end. That was what Jadeja did brilliantly. He was very economical. Plus he managed to take two wickets as well. He got us the first breakthrough. So people can easily say that the three fast bowlers were the standout bowlers. But according to me, I thought Ravindra Jadeja was absolutely brilliant,” Gambhir said.

England batters are now again frustrating the Indian bowlers with the lower order wagging the tail. They began the second day on 198 for seven but have currently just lost one wicket for 98 runs.

Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler are in the middle with England’s score on 304 for eight. However, Gambhir was hopeful that India would take the three wickets pretty quickly.

“It will be very crucial to put runs on the board. Hopefully, India can put runs after getting wickets in the morning,” Gautam Gambhir had said.

However, the lower order has again proved to be the thorn in the flesh for the Indian bowlers as Ravindra Jadeja has a lot to prove in the dead rubber.