5 November - Kolkata - India player Ravindra Jadeja post-match press conference
[Reporter:]
We had asked Rohit Sharma about which players are doing well. He took your name, he said that Jadeja is under the radar. He is doing very well. He is underappreciated. Did you hear that? That people are not talking about me today I will show them with my ball and bat.
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
No, I don't know honestly, but it's good that I am contributing well in the past 3-4 matches, in batting and bowling. I feel happy that in an important tournament, in important matches I am delivering with the bat and ball. It feels good. Important games are coming up - I am more confident about my individual performance.
[Reporter:]
Can we expect that after the Australia and West Indies, if there is an unbeaten champion, it will be India in this World Cup.
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
We don't think much about what will happen in a match, we plan match by match. The upcoming knockout stage will be very important. The way the teams momentum is right now, with batting, bowling, in every department, we are clicking as a team. So, we will continue and try to make it the same in the semifinal and final.
[Reporter:]
If you could tell us about the pitch. The South African coach said that the wicket was not one where you could score 320. You’ll scored a lot that way.
How did the wicket behave in the first half? In the second half, when you bowled and took the punches, tell us about the wicket.
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
I think when they were bowling, it was more healthy. I think the turn was more and the bounce of the wicket was less. But now, if you ask me personally, the wicket in the afternoon and now - now it was a little easier. I won't say easy, but it was fine. But in the afternoon, there was turn and it was slow, so batsmen can't hit. But credit to Virat and the middle order batsmen who handled their spinners, it was very good.
We have an idea that whenever we come to Kolkata, the bounce is less and the spin is also there. So maybe that was an advantage that we knew that there will be spin and the wicket will be played slowly. Mentally we were prepared with this.
[Reporter:]
In the last 2-3 matches, we are seeing that from the new ball, they are taking wickets with the new ball. As a spinner, when you come after that, how easy is it for you and Kuldeep? Tell us a little bit about this.
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
See, always, in any format that you are playing, when your fast bowler takes 2-3 wickets from the top, it becomes easier for the spinner. Because a batsman who comes on slow wickets cannot play big shots straight away. He needs time. And the spinner can bowl with more confidence. He can bowl with speed and variation.
I think it's good that all three fast bowlers are giving us 2-3 wickets in every match. Sometimes more than that. It's good.
Hopefully in the upcoming knockout stage if our team performs like this it will be very good
[Reporter:]
In the tournament, you won the last match with 300 runs, now again one sided. All 8 matches that India have won have been almost always one sided. This was thought to be the toughest match, but it was not proved.
So, don't you think that before going for a knockout, one more tough test was necessary for India?
And second, were you extra motivated for the birthday on the field?
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
No, no. Playing for India and birthday is not related. Whenever we play for India in the jersey it is always a birthday. Very few people get a chance to wear Indian jersey so it is a big thing but if you do a good performance on your birthday and the team wins then it becomes double special and like you asked why no tough match was made - so it is good that there should not be any tough match, if the opponent team comes to play, they should feel that they are under more pressure and panic.
Their preparation is that they will go to play in front of India, their team is performing very well in batting, bowling, fielding. So, this should happen. And I will say that the stage that will come now is more important. So, if we are winning one side matches, then there will be more pressure on the other team.
[Reporter:]
Continuing the same question. Virat's 49th century, Sachin Tendulkar's record of ODI 100, he has equalised, everywhere it was talk of the town, talk of the nation, somewhere Indian team will also know about it, how will you’ll celebrate, is there any special arrangement, will they plan anything?
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
No, there is nothing like that. But whatever it is, 49 - 50, whatever it is, this joy is falling in the same plate. So, it's good. It's not going anywhere else. So let it be. What else?
The good news is that it is an important tournament and important games and it is happening in India. So whatever record is broken, runs are made, wickets are taken, it is good for us, so let it be, don't cast an evil eye on anyone.
[Reporter:]
Thinking in place of a captain - if you have a player like you who is bowling 10 overs in every match, 50 runs in every match, batting, and fielding. So how happy would you be?
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
I would be very happy. And you said I should think like a captain – I have been thinking like the captain since the first match, it’s just that I've never become one.
As an all-rounder – it is our role that if in a tough situation, they have to make 30, 35, 40 runs, and when the partnership is in place, they can change the game by taking one or two wickets. That's their role.
I always try to give an impactful performance in batting or bowling. When the team needs me, in any department. And I never take fielding for granted. I also feel that I can miss a catch. So, I am always more prepared, that if I get a catch, I don't relax on the field.
So, I just keep trying. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. But I keep trying.
[Reporter:]
When you won the toss, it must have been very easy to bat first, seeing their record.
And second, did you have any idea that the wicket would be a little slow for spinners?
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
No, after winning toss, we were trying to challenge ourselves. Because if we had bowled in the afternoon, we might not have scored so many runs.
As I said, the ball was stopping a lot, and there was no bounce. And the turn was increasing. It was continuously turning.
So, it was a challenge for us to take first batting and in the second innings if the dew comes, how can we bowl with the dew? Because if such a situation comes in the knockout stage, we should know how to handle that situation. That was the only reason.
[Reporter:]
You have played with Virat's maximum during these 49 hundreds. You have seen him from the sidelines. So, looking at this pitch, how do you assess this 100? Where do you keep this 100 as a player?
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
I would say this is special for him as well as tough because the way the wicket was in the afternoon, at one time it felt like 260-270 is also fine and at that time, rotating the strike and taking boundaries I think that must have been very challenging.
So, specially I would say that when the team was not getting a run, both their spinners were bowling well, and at such a time to rotate the strike, to take boundaries, and to get a score of above 300 and be not out - that is a very big achievement and a very big effort for him.
[Reporter:]
So far you have been unbeaten in the tournament, but before the tournament started, which team were you considering more tough or more competitive in terms of your planning or preparation, team wise, who do you think will face the biggest challenge from this team or from these teams?
[Ravindra Jadeja:]
See, in white ball cricket, sometimes due to the factor of dew, the situation becomes completely different. If we would have bowled in the afternoon and if dew would have come at night, then the ball would not have spinned maybe - as the ball was moving so much in the afternoon.
So sometimes in white ball, the main reason for dew is that any normal team also looks big and if there is no dew then everything can go in our favour, no team looks big, it looks like we will defeat them easily.
So, all that factors a lot and in which situation you make your game plan, that also matters.