India captain Rohit Sharma has said that Ravindra Jadeja's all-round masterclass was the “highlight” for him in the team's innings victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Mohali. In what was Rohit's first match as India's Test captain, the team beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs with Jadeja scoring an unbeaten 175 and then taking nine wickets across the two Sri Lankan innings.
Rohit admitted that he didn't expect the match, which was former captain Virat Kohli's 100th Test, to get over in three days considering the pitch was providing a lot of assistance for the batters.
“To be honest I didn't think it is going to be that kind of a Test match which would get over in three days. It was a good batting pitch, there was some turn and some assistance for the seamers as well,” said Rohit in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“Lot of credit to the guys, they bowled very well in tandem, kept the pressure and never made it easier for the Sri Lanka batsmen. We knew it is a fast outfield so runs are easier to come by if you dig in. From our side, we just wanted to make sure we kept up that pressure from both ends. There will be odd bounce here and there and their batters would make mistakes and that is what we were waiting for,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Lot of credit to the guys, they bowled very well in tandem, kept the pressure and never made it easier for the Sri Lanka batsmen. We knew it is a fast outfield so runs are easier to come by if you dig in. From our side, we just wanted to make sure we kept up that pressure from both ends. There will be odd bounce here and there and their batters would make mistakes and that is what we were waiting for,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Jadeja was left one wicket away from becoming the first-ever in men's Test cricket to score a 150 and take 10 wickets in a match. Rohit said that Jadeja telling the dressing room to declare the innings before he reached his double century showed how selfless the 33-year-old is.
"Good signs for India cricket. Lot of performances, landmark Test match for Virat. So we obviously wanted to win the Test first and foremost and make sure we get our job done first. Such big performances by these individuals was very heartening to see.
“Jadeja's performance was the highlight of this game. He showed a lot of maturity to bat like that and then remain unbeaten. It was a great effort. There were a few questions around declaration but it was the team's and Jadeja's decision to put them in and it shows how selfless he is,” said Rohit.