New Delhi: When Ravindra Jadeja takes the field at Chepauk on Saturday, he has the chance to join an elusive club. The spin-bowling all-rounder has shown his mettle with the bat to put India in a commanding position in the first Test against Bangladesh but he can join an exclusive list of bowlers that features only six Indians.
With India in complete control of the Chennai Test, Jadeja will have the opportunity to put the icing on the cake by claiming his 300th Test wicket. The seasoned all-rounder said after play on Day 2 that while all the five Indian bowlers “will be in play” when Bangladesh come out to bat in their second innings, he hopes to achieve the landmark at the iconic venue.
After scoring 86 with the bat while adding 199 runs for the seventh wicket with his parter-in-crime Ravichandran Ashwin (113) to rescue India from a precarious position, Jadeja snared two wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings to take his overall tally to 296 Test wickets.
He was dismissed early on Day 2, despite looking good for a hundred but hopes that he reaches a bowling milestone on Day 3.
“I got out today but it’s part and parcel of the game. Now we have to put up a good score on the board in the second innings. I am very happy with my bowling, the way I went through today. It’s a good opportunity to take the 300th wicket on this ground,” Jadeja told the official broadcaster at the end of Day 2.
Jadeja aims to enter exclusive club
If Jadeja gets four wickets on Day 3, he will become the 38th overall and sixth Indian to touch the 300-wicket mark. In doing so, he will join an exclusive Indian club that includes Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin.
India are in complete control having stretched their overall lead to 308 runs. The hosts were 81 for three at stumps on Day 2, after skittling out Bangladesh for 149 in their first innings. Jasprit Bumrah was the destroyer-in-chief for the home side with a four-wicket haul while Jadeja, Akashdeep and Mohammed Siraj chipped in with two wickets apiece.
India notched up 376 in their first essay.
An astonishing 17 wickets fell on the day, beating the previous Chepauk record of 15 on a single day.
IND vs BAN: After scoring 86 rescue India from a precarious position, Ravindra Jadeja snared two wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
