Ravindra Jadeja, who was 25 runs short of what would have been a remarkable double century, revealed that declaring the innings vs Sri Lanka on Day 2 was his decision. India host the first Test of the two-match series against Dimuth Karunaratne and company in Mohali. 

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India were cruising at 574 with two wickets in hand. Jadeja was batting at 175 and Mohammed Shami at 20 runs. Two more big overs and the former would have bought his first double century in the format, the only one by an Indian batting at No 7. However, Rohit Sharma declared the innings. 

While there was a buzz that Jadeja should have been given a chance to go for a 200, the all-rounder insisted that it was an ideal time to declare giving opposition a session under difficult circumstances.

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Sri Lanka were reduced to 108/4 at the end of second day’s play. They trail India by 466 runs. 

Talking about the declaration after the day’s play, Jadeja said that he sent a message to the dugout asking the skipper to declare. 

“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,” the former Rajasthan Royals player, described as ‘Rockstar‘ by the late Shane Warne, said. 

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“They were already tired fielding for nearly quarter to two days (five sessions),” he added.

Jadeja also picked up rival skipper Dimuth Karunaratne’s wicket. 

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

It was the up and down nature of the track helped Jadeja remove Karunaratne. 

“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,” he said. 

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“My first ball (to Karunaratne) turned and 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.