There are certain angles that only Ravindra Jadeja can create. Be it angling the ball into the left-hander or taking it away from the right-hander. If need be, he can even go round arm. One thing that is constant when he is doing all this is discipline. On a long tiring bowling day on Day 1 at the Wankhede stadium, Jadeja kept one end tight putting a cap on the English run flow. Even as Ravichandran Ashwin chipped away wickets at sundry from the other end, a lot of credit had to be given to Jadeja’s relentless bowling display. Not to forget it was him who got India the first breakthrough of the morning with Alastair Cook being stumped for 46, a little while before Lunch. Cook’s dismissal was well thought of explains Jadeja. “While bowling to Cook, I made it a point to bowl to his fourth or fifth stump because there was some rough that aided spin. I bowled there consistently and expected things to happen from there. That is exactly what happened and Cook charged and the ball spun off the rough and was stumped,” Jadeja told BCCI.TV after his 4-wicket haul on Day 2.

Cook’s dismissal plotting is just a small case in point. Jadeja is a thinking bowler. Even if he is not amongst the wickets and bowling tight lines from the other end, there is a mind of his own that is constantly planning on ways to get the batsman out. No wickets through the day, it didn’t matter. Jadeja was just willing to bowl and give it all. For him, long spells were more than welcome. “There are times when you bowl long spells; you get into a good rhythm,” he says. “You tend to realise what are the areas you need to bowl at and understand the pitch better. As a bowling unit, we didn’t want to give away easy boundaries even if we weren’t successful to get a breakthrough. The idea was to bowl maidens and restrict the runs as much as possible. In a way, because of the bounce in the wicket, the batsmen could score easily. Control and line and length was important. “I am used to bowling long spells and it is never a problem for me. I am more than happy and ready to keep bowling from one end. I have self belief. If I don’t get a wicket for 30 overs, I am sure I will get a wicket each in over number 31, 32 and 33. That is what I try to do every time I walk out to bowl - carry that self belief in me and assure myself of taking wickets.” If he managed just one wicket on Day 1, he added three more to his tally on Day 2. Understanding the nature of the pitch and bowling according to it was the key according to Jadeja. “It was important to identify areas on the pitch where you could purchase some turn. Once you had done that it was important to be disciplined and land the ball in the same area consistently. There was something in the pitch for the spinners right from day 1. Not every delivery would turn but there were a few areas on the pitch from where the ball would turn. Me and Ashwin decided to be patient and were ready to bowl long spells. Jayant Yadav chipped in with tight lines as well. Overall all the spinners bowled well and there was good communication between us. “There was more spin on day 2. For example, if two or three balls would turn in three or four overs on day 1, there were more deliveries that spun today in fewer overs. The spin percentage increased. As the game progresses, there will be more spin for the bowlers. It is a great feeling to get a 4-wicket haul. I feel I am bowling well at this point of time,” he signed off.