Ravindra Jadeja's Straightforward Opinion on Test Captaincy and India's Supremacy Over England

Ravindra Jadeja has always been an integral part of India's Test squad and his all-round skills have won numerous games for the nation. But when Rohit Sharma relinquished the position of Test captain lately everybody was eager to find out whether the veteran Jadeja would be entrusted with the leadership role. But the selectors decided to take another route and handed over the task to young Shubman Gill. At a media conference following his good game against England Jadeja was questioned about how he felt for not being given the captaincy. Smiling he provided a short and cheeky reply that the moment for him to captain had already passed.

There was no look of disappointment or anger on Jadeja's face. Rather, he demonstrated maturity and concentration for the success of the team. He had just played a masterly innings of 89 runs off 137 deliveries that helped India amass a dominant total. His batting remained untroubled and poised and he put on a solid 203-run partnership with Shubman Gill. This partnership gave India the advantage and taxed the English bowlers. Jadeja, who has visited England for the third time in his career, demonstrated once more why he is among the most reliable players in the team.

When journalists queried him on the performance of Shubman Gill as captain, Jadeja lauded the young batter. According to him, Gill didn't let captaincy hamper his batting and appeared extremely confident at the crease. As per Jadeja Gill was batting confidently and freely. Although he was out later in the innings there was no indication of pressure in his body language or in his choice of shot. Jadeja stated that when they were batting together they always kept conversing and motivating each other with an aim to create a long association which proved very beneficial for the team.

Jadeja's innings, however, was brought to an abrupt halt when he attempted to pull a short, seaming ball from Josh Tongue. Jadeja was completely misjudging the timing due to extra pace and bounce on the ball and ended up glove it straight to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. It was disappointing way to get out of a good knock but his effort had already established the tone for India's huge total. Shubman Gill continued to dominate even after his dismissal and combined with Washington Sundar to create another impressive 144-run stand. They kept the scoreboard running and-fatigued the English bowlers who seemed exhausted and could not find any breakthroughs.

Sundar scored 42 off 103 balls playing a patient innings before being given out by Joe Root. Gill, on the other hand, played a masterclass innings and was left with a stunning score of 269. Due to these partnerships India amassed a huge 587 on the board giving the English side a serious amount of pressure. The Indian batsmen played with intent and confidence which did not allow the English bowlers to get into any sort of rhythm.

England's response began in shambles. Indian fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep provided insipid lines and early punishment. England lost their top three batsmen within a few overs. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope returned without scoring and Zak Crawley made only 19 runs before getting out. The Indian fast bowling attack seemed razor-sharp and intent providing no room to breathe for the English top order.

With three wickets down early England were in trouble but Joe Root and Harry Brook attempted to stabilize the ship. They batted calmly and put together an unbeaten 52-run stand. At the close of play England were 77 for 3 and still behind by a vast margin. The Indian bowlers put pressure on throughout the day and indicated that they were in total command of the match.

During the press conference Jadeja also commented on India's plan for the following day. According to him the team would look to take a couple of early wickets on Day 3 before lunch. He stated that achieving those early wickets would be a big advantage for India and enable them to be well-positioned to try and win the match. He said that in cricket huge partnerships are possible and the team was also aware of this. Therefore, they would not take anything lightly and would keep on playing with the same energy and concentration.

Jadeja's composed and reflective responses at the press meet demonstrated his ability and knowledge of the game. Although he was not made the captain, his allegiance to the team and the new leadership was apparent. His priority was to win games for India and assist young players such as Gill in performing their roles. His optimistic mindset and useful contributions with both the bat and ball still resonated as a force within the team.

The game till now has shown India to be strong with bat and ball. Although Shubman Gill's double century was the talking point players such as Jadeja and Sundar also played key roles. On the bowling side the initial breakthroughs provided by Siraj and Akash Deep put India in a commanding position. As the game progresses all eyes will be on the Indian bowlers as to how they go about their work and if they are able to finish off the England innings in quick time.

This performance again shows that Indian cricket is in good hands. With veteran players such as Jadeja leading the young brigade and new leaders such as Gill coming forward the future looks promising. The team's good performance in this Test match indicates that they have a desire to win and can play under pressure. And although Jadeja is not the captain anymore his presence and his performance still generate confidence in fans and team members alike.