Ravindra Jadeja Stars with Five-Wicket Haul as India Faces Late Collapse Against New Zealand

Ravindra Jadeja's impressive five-wicket haul helped India restrict New Zealand in the first innings of the third ICC World Test Championship match. However, despite his stellar performance, India experienced a dramatic late collapse, losing three wickets for just six runs in the final session.

Reflecting on his performance, Jadeja acknowledged that luck played a role, noting that while he bowled well in the previous Pune Test, the results did not favor him. "There was not much change," Jadeja said. "But there was a little bounce and turn here. The ball was turning well after bouncing. Sometimes you bowl well but don't get wickets on a turning track; it happens."

With his five-wicket haul, Jadeja joined an elite group, surpassing Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan to become one of the top five wicket-takers for India in Tests. He now has 314 wickets in his career, placing him fifth on the all-time list for Indian bowlers.

"I didn't know that. I look at the stats when I am not playing," Jadeja remarked. "It's good that I'm progressing and taking wickets. You have to mix your pace on this wicket. You can't bowl too slow; there's bounce but not much pace. You need to use your shoulder and generate more revs to achieve that bounce."

Most wickets for india in test:

Anil Kumble - 619
Ravichandran Ashwin - 533
Kapil Dev - 434
Harbhajan Singh - 417
Ravindra Jadeja - 314

Despite Jadeja's efforts, India's batting line-up faltered towards the end of the day, raising concerns about their position in the match. Addressing the collapse, Jadeja said, "We did not get much time; everything happened in 10 minutes. But it happens; it is a team game, we cannot blame anyone."

He emphasized the need for the remaining batsmen to build partnerships in the upcoming sessions. "We can blame everyone, but the next batters will have to make small partnerships tomorrow morning. We will have to do as much as we can in the second innings."

As the match progresses, India will look to regroup and leverage Jadeja's performance to turn the tide against New Zealand.