Ind vs SL, 1st Test: Ravindra Jadeja Reveals Why He Asked Rohit Sharma To Declare India's Innings

Ravindra Jadeja said he knew it was the ideal time to declare an innings as it would have given India the opportunity to put a tired Sri Lankan side to bat in tough conditions.

Ravindra Jadeja, Photo Courtesy: @BCCI / Twitter

New Delhi: Team India is currently taking on Sri Lanka in the series opener of the two-match Test series at Punjab's Mohali Cricket Stadium. On Day 2 of Ind vs SL 1st Test, star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (175 not out from 228 balls) completed his second Test century and scored his career-highest score as India declared their innings at 574/8.

Jadeja had a chance to score a double century but the all-rounder sent a message to the Indian dressing room, asking them to declare the innings as he wanted the hosts to take advantage of 'variable bounce and turn', PTI reported.

Jadeja said he knew it was the ideal time to declare an innings as it would have given India the opportunity to put a tired Sri Lankan side to bat in tough conditions.

"I also told them that there is variable bounce and deliveries have started turning. So I sent a message that there is something on offer from the strip and I suggested that we should put them in to bat now itself. They were already tired fielding for nearly quarter to two days (five sessions)," Jadeja was quoted as saying by PTI after the second day's play.

"Since they were tired, it was not easy to play the big shots straightaway and bat for long hours. So the plan was to declare quickly and exploit the fatigue of the opposition batters," he further explained.

The unpredictable bounce of the pitch at Mohali even helped Jadeja pick up rival skipper Dimuth Karunaratne's wicket.

"When I was batting, there were some deliveries that turned and some kept low. There was natural variation off the surface and that was the plan. To keep the ball on the stumps and if we keep it on stumps, it can go straight or also turn from the same spot, and that's what happened. My first ball (to Karunaratne) turned and the second ball I thought that I will bowl on the fourth stump and if it turns or stays low, there was always a chance of getting a wicket."

On his big hundred, Jadeja spoke about his mindset of trying to improve every time he plays for India."I look to improve my game every single time I play for India. When I get an opportunity to score runs, I look to implement that opportunity in performance and so yeah, all in all, I am very much happy," he said.