Battle-hardened all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has stressed that India’s looming series defeat to South Africa will not impact their upcoming Test assignment in Sri Lanka next August. With the hosts facing an impossible chase of 549 on the final day of the second Test in Guwahati, Jadeja emphasised that saving the match would feel like a “win” for the young side.
“I don’t think it will affect the next series. But as a cricketer, nobody wants to lose a series, especially at home. We will try our best cricket and put our best foot forward tomorrow,” Jadeja said, adding, “Hopefully, we can save the Test match. Even if we aren’t winning the series, drawing the match would be a win-win situation for us.”
Ravindra Jadeja on youngsters: Valuable learning experience
Turning 37 in a couple of weeks, Jadeja highlighted that a series loss at home provides crucial lessons for India’s young players, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, and Washington Sundar, who are all in the early stages of their Test careers.
“The youngsters are in a learning phase. International cricket is always challenging, no matter the format,” Jadeja explained. He pointed out that losses tend to shine a harsher spotlight on inexperienced players than victories do.
“In India, when a team with 3–4 youngsters loses, it feels like the whole side is inexperienced. When India wins at home, it’s often taken for granted. But if we lose, it becomes a big deal. For youngsters, handling this situation well will help them mature and strengthen India’s future.”
Conditions played a major role
Jadeja also reflected on how pitch conditions influenced the series. He said India struggled during their first innings because the wicket was initially hard and shiny, offering little assistance to bowlers.
“When we were bowling in the first two days, there were no marks on the wicket. It was shining like a mirror. By the time they batted in the second innings, the pitch had changed, allowing spinners to get more turn and bounce,” he explained.
Once South Africa secured a 288-run first-innings lead, their batters could play freely without worrying about conditions. Jadeja also acknowledged that losing the toss in both games had an impact.
“Winning or losing the toss is part of the game. It does affect the match because the first bowlers experience a completely different wicket than those bowling with a lead,” he said.
Looking ahead to the final day, Jadeja urged India’s batters to focus solely on the task at hand. “Tomorrow will be very important as a batting unit. We need to stay positive and try to play the whole day,” he concluded.
