Indian captain Rohit Sharma explained the reason why the Indian all-rounder has promoted up the order against Sri Lanka in the first T20I match of the ongoing 3-match series at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Ravindra Jadeja, who made his return to the Indian team on Thursday was sent into bat at number four. The left-handed batter scored three runs from four balls. Jadeja also managed to pick one wicket as he dismissed Dinesh Chandimal.
Later, during the post-match presentation, Rohit said that the team management is planning to use Ravindra Jadeja higher up the order more often now. He said:
“Very happy with Jadeja’s return. We want more from him; that is why we asked him to bat higher. You will see that happening more and more in the games that he plays for India. I want him to bat up the order more.”
He added: “He is a very improved batter, so we will try and see if we can promote him going forward.”
Rohit Sharma also spoke about batting on big grounds, which team India can expect in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. He said:
“We are very clear with what we want to achieve with him in white-ball cricket. I love playing on big grounds, because that is when you will be tested as a batter. Here you got to use a bit of batsmanship as well.”
Team India also had a few dropped chances in the field, so the captain said he wants the team to work on their fielding as well. He said:
“It’s consistently happening. We are dropping easy catches. Our fielding coach has some work to do. Come Australia, we want to be a great fielding side,”
Meanwhile, the Indian side has now taken a lead of 1-0 in the ongoing 3-match T20I series. The second T20I game will take place in Dharamshala.
