It was a fantastic ball to get rid of Kane Williamson: Ravindra Jadeja

India’s left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja bagged a five-for in the first innings of the first Test match against New Zealand at Kanpur. He stated that the dismissal of Kane Williamson was the turning point of the match.

Williamson was batting well when he got a peach of a delivery from Ravichandran Ashwin, which turned a lot after pitching well outside off to shatter the stumps.

“We knew that it is Kane who can really bat for long in their line-up. The plan was to get him out. We knew others can’t bat for long hours. We got four wickets in the morning session and that was game-changing,” Jadeja said at a press conference at the end of day’s play.

Speaking about the ball that got Williamson’s wicket, he said, “It was a good ball. It came through the bat and pad. It was a fantastic ball.”

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Tips from Anil Kumble:

Jadeja was seen talking to the Indian head coach, Anil Kumble ahead of the day’s play. Kumble, himself being one of the most successful bowlers for India gave quite a few tips for Jadeja.

“He asked me to bowl in rough areas and look for angles and bowling from wide of the crease. There were a lot of footmarks around the off stump area. He told me that those marks will have a bearing on the minds of the batsmen,” he said.

The spin duo of Jadeja and Ashwin were wicketless on Day 2, but they found success quite easily on Day 3. When asked about the changes they have made for the day, he said, “There is not much that we changed. We knew we have to get one wicket and two-three can fall immediately after that. They were trying to play shots and we knew they will make one or other mistake. We bowled from outside off stump, built pressure and executed our plans well.”

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“I have been playing on these pitches for the last so many years. Since my Under-14, Under 16, Under 19 days, I have played on similar pitches, same conditions. We have also played on underprepared pitches so that gives you experience,” concluded the 27-year old.