ENG vs IND: Virat Kohli Might Be Praying That Such Clarity Comes In His Game - Sanjay Manjrekar On Ravindra Jadeja Leaving Balls

Indian all-rounder Jadeja resumed the second day batting on 83 along with Mohammed Shami. He was vigilant when it came to leaving the balls pitched anything in the off-stump line. Forget about teasing those balls but he was so focused that he block the slightest fuller-length deliveries.

Jadeja top-edged England captain Ben Stokes for the first boundary of the day flying over the slip cordon. He hit consecutive boundaries off Matthew Potts to bring his third Test ton, first against England, and the sword-swinging celebration was once again highlighted.

Ravindra Jadeja’s third Test hundred pushes India past 400-run mark

Jadeja’s stay at the crease didn’t last for long after reaching the three-figure mark as England pace bowler James Anderson cleaned him up. India’s stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah’s power-hitting, including 29 runs in a Stuart Broad over (which went for 35 runs) powered India to a gigantic 416 in the first innings.

Virat Kohli might be praying that such clarity comes in his game: Sanjay Manjrekar

Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar said Kohli should take a cue from Jadeja’s approach of leaving the balls pitched outside the off-stump line. Kohli was dismissed on 11 after he got an inside ege, while leaving the ball, that chopped onto his stumps off Matthew Potts’ fuller delivery.

The former Indian player also was effusive in praise for Jadeja bringing clarity into his game over the past few years.

“In this innings, we saw the Hawkeye, where he (Jadeja) was leaving the balls even slightly outside the off-stump, was playing them when it was close to off-stump and driving the pitched-up deliveries. Virat Kohli might be praying that such clarity comes in his game, today Jadeja has that,” Manjrekar said on Sony Sports Network.

“Nowadays he has got the belief that he can bat for two hours. It is a hallmark of an in-form batter whose mind is absolutely clear. People want this clarity to be there with them for their lifetime. ‘

“These things work in auto-pilot when a batter is in form. Talent was always there, the discipline has come now,” he added.

Jadeja hit his third Test century, adding to his tally of one against Sri Lanka this year and another against West Indies in 2019.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: Don’t Know How The Out-of-form Phase Has Gone On For So Long – Sanjay Manjrekar On Virat Kohli’s Form