Ravindra Jadeja has addressed the accusations made by England captain Ben Stokes regarding the alleged deliberate damaging of the pitch during the second Test match at Edgbaston. The incident occurred on the second day of the Test, with Stokes and England bowler Chris Woakes expressing their concerns to the umpires about Jadeja running on the protected area of the pitch.
Woakes initially raised the issue in the second over of the day, suggesting that Jadeja was intentionally creating rough patches to potentially aid the Indian bowlers later in the match. Umpire Saikat intervened, and Jadeja seemingly adjusted his running technique in response. However, the matter escalated later in the day when Woakes again complained about Jadeja's footwork, leading to Stokes joining the conversation and confronting the Indian all-rounder. Stokes reportedly pointed out specific areas of concern on the pitch, implying that Jadeja was deliberately tampering with the surface.
Jadeja has firmly denied the accusations, dismissing them as "mind games". Speaking after the day's play, Jadeja clarified that he had no intention of damaging the pitch and that his "focus was purely on batting". He stated that he was running in the same area as always and saw no reason to deliberately rough up the surface, especially as he would not be bowling there.
"He [Stokes] felt I was making rough for myself. The fast bowlers were doing it anyway. I don't need to do that. He was repeatedly telling the umpire that I am running on the wicket," Jadeja explained. "I had no such intention. It might have happened once or twice by mistake, but I didn't mean to". He further suggested that Stokes might have been overthinking the situation and that the English fast bowlers were likely causing more damage to the pitch.
Despite the heated exchange, Jadeja remained composed and let his bat do the talking. In the over following the confrontation, he hit Stokes for two consecutive boundaries. He went on to score a crucial 89 runs off 137 deliveries, forming a significant 203-run partnership with Shubman Gill, who scored a career-best 269. Jadeja's innings ended when he gloved a bouncer from Josh Tongue to the keeper, narrowly missing out on a century.
Jadeja's response to Stokes' accusations highlights his focus on the game and his denial of any intentional wrongdoing. His performance with the bat further solidified his position and contributed to India's dominant position in the Test match.
Adding to the events of the day, it was revealed that Jadeja had broken BCCI protocols by arriving early for extra batting practice. He justified this decision as necessary preparation for the challenging English pitch.
