I had a lot to prove: Ravindra Jadeja

If Ravichandran Ashwin has been the chief tormentor with 26 wickets, Jadeja has also made his mark bowling with gumption. He has 21 scalps so far, including a five-for in the ongoing Delhi Test, and that has been the hallmark of his return to the game having spent close to six months on the sidelines.

Jadeja said he had a lot to “prove”. “There was a lot of negativity surrounding me in the past and I wanted to get rid of it. I was very keen to prove myself,” said Jadeja, who was dropped for the recent Sri Lanka series. “Now that I am doing well, I hope to do well in coming matches too.

“When I was dropped, I think in June-July, it was the start of the Ranji Trophy season and three matches were in Rajkot, it was also that luck favoured us.

“The Saurashtra wickets were turners. I worked hard and the timings were all in place. The Ranji Trophy started, South Africa series was round the corner, it all fell in place.”

Talking about India’s decision to bat despite having the option to enforce the follow on, Jadeja said it was the team management’s call. “We had no such instructions (to declare) at the start of the day’s play today. We just wanted to bat well and have a good total on board. Batting last is never easy and we wanted to reach a situation where there was no room for risk,” he said.

“Moreover, South Africa are employing four spinners while we are using only two, I don’t think there’s anything special in the wicket. It’s about we batted well in first innings and we got a lead of 213. As the game progresses, the wicket will get worse, so we are in a good position. I think this is a far better wicket than the one at Nagpur. “