Kolkata: One of Team India’s mainstays, Ravindra Jadeja, who excelled both with the bat and the ball in the fifth test against England in Chennai said that his team would put up a better show overseas in 2017.
“Me and my team want to promise our fans around the world that India will put up a good show overseas in 2017. We are keen to shed the poor travellers tag,” Jadeja said. And he added that 2016 had been a great year for the Indian team as they have won matches after matches, in a convincing fashion.
Jadeja had a wonderful outing against England in Chennai, where he scored an important half-century in India’s pursuit of England’s 477 and ended with 10 wickets for 154 runs. His consistency with the ball has propelled him to the number 2 spot in the ICC Test bowler’s rankings, with the top spot being occupied by his teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, who has 887 points to his name and is just eight points ahead of the left-arm spinner.
This is only the second time since 1974, when two Indians occupied the first and the second spot in the bowler’s rankings. The first instance when this happened was in 1974 where the first and the second spot were occupied by Bishan Singh Bedi and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar.
Jadeja’s all-round performance in this series (224 runs and 26
wickets) has helped him climb up the table in the all-rounder’s
rankings where he is currently occupying the third position. He
attributed the Indian team’s fitness to the gym sessions they have been undergoing.
“Nowadays, the boys are very fit and spend a lot of time in gym and that is the reason why we are able to give our best on the field,” he said.
The hard-hitting all-rounder is also hopeful of the fact that he will sign more endorsement deals in the future and he knows that he has to produce consistent performances in order to do so. “My main focus is to play good cricket and if I do that I know many more brands will approach me in future.”