Ravindra Jadeja had a perfect day at the office on Thursday in Rajkot. After all, he was performing at his home ground after almost 2 years. He scored his maiden Test century on Friday for which he received a huge round of applause from his teammates and the crowd present at the stadium.
But there was a moment when his one mistake would have turned down his day. The entire incident may have looked funny but it had brought skipper Virat Kohli and the entire Indian cricket fans on their toes.
The incident happened in the 12th over of the West Indies innings when they were already 3 wickets down. Batsman Shimron Hetmyer had just driven a delivery from R Ashwin to mid-on. Sunil Ambris ran down to the striker's end even as Hetmyer stood rooted to his end. However, Hetmyer changed his mind which left both the batters stranded in the middle of the crease
Here's the video:
Amidst all drama, Jadeja picked the ball and decided not to throw the ball at the non-striker’s end. He kept on walking with the ball, thinking that Hetmyer won’t run back. But when the batsmen actually rushed towards the crease, Jadeja threw the ball which luckily dislodged the bails.
After the match, Jadeja revealed why he took so long to effect the run-out. He said,
“Both batsmen were at the same end, so I thought I could easily hit the stumps. I was just walking at the stumps, and I didn't think he (Hetmyer) will start running. I can't think what would have happened if I hadn't hit the stumps, but then I threw it and luckily it hit the stumps.”
The incident turned the captain and the bowler stunned but eventually, the scene ended with a celebration of scalping another wicket, that too, funnily.