There's Nothing To Worry About As A Batting Unit: Ravindra Jadeja

India allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has said ‘there’s nothing to worry about’ after the team’s thumping loss at the hands of New Zealand in the first warm-up game on Saturday. Team India, one of the firm favourites to lift the title, received a timely wake-up call after suffering a 6-wicket defeat. For the Men in Blue, not much went their way barring the toss.

Skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to bat first on a seaming track in order to test the team in testing conditions. And by the time India’s innings ended, it became very clear that they are not ready to play comfortably on tough pitches.  None of the three opening options – Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul – managed to make a mark and all fell to Trent Boult. Kohli got the start but was castled by Colin de Grandhomme, thus leaving the team reeling at 39 for 4 in the 11th over.

New Zealand win by 6 wickets in the warm-up game against #TeamIndia #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/YgenyGT6Nn

— BCCI (@BCCI) May 25, 2019

Also Read: ICC World Cup 2019: Fielders are Going to Have a Crucial Role – Virat Kohli

Hardik Pandya managed some quick runs while MS Dhoni hung around for a while but by the time Jadeja walked out to bat, India were reduced to 77 for 5, and three balls later, slid to 81 for 6. Jadeja then scored a fifty to make sure India post a respectable total. But New Zealand chased down 180 without breaking a sweat with fifties from Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor taking them over the line.

“We wanted to bat first on purpose, to test ourselves in seaming conditions,” Ravindra Jadeja said. “Had it been during the tournament, we would have taken a better decision after winning the toss. We wanted to test ourselves in tough conditions, to perform there. Because if we go and bat on such a green pitch, it will become easier for the batsmen when they get flat tracks to bat on.”

Also Read: ICC World Cup 2019: Twitter Reacts as India’s Batting Order Fails in the Warm-Up Match Against New Zealand

“The conditions were a bit tough, typical England conditions. The wicket was a bit soft in the first 15-20 overs. It got better and better as the match progressed,” he explained. “This was our first game, there’s nothing to worry about as a batting unit. It’s just a matter of one game. You can’t judge a player from one bad innings. We just need to work harder and focus more on our batting skills. Nothing to worry, everyone has a lot of experience… Hopefully, during the (world cup) matches, we get a different wicket, better wicket to bat on,” added Ravindra Jadeja who scored an impressive 54.

India will now take on Bangladesh in the second warm-up game on March 28 before the World Cup starts on May 30.