Follow UsRavindra Jadeja, senior all-arounder for the Indian team, feels scoring a hundred in tough English conditions will not only enhance his reputation as a batter but will also serve as a big confidence booster going forward in his career.
The southpaw scored 104 runs off 194 deliveries and stitched a vital stand of 222 runs for the sixth wicket to help the Indian team rebuild from 98 for five to 416 runs in the first innings of the rescheduled fifth and final Test against England at Edgbaston.
"I am very happy that I scored a hundred outside India and that too in England. It is a big thing as a player.
"For me, I take this hundred as a confidence booster to score a hundred in England in swinging conditions," Jadeja said after the third's day play at Edgbaston after scoring his first overseas century.
The 33-year-old believes that the key to success for a batter in England is the sheer ability to judge the ball and be disciplined in leaving the balls in conditions conducive for fast bowling.
"In England, you need to play close to your body because if you try to play cover drives and square drives, there are chances that you may get out caught behind or in the slips.
"So my focus was to leave balls which are outside off stump. I thought of hitting the ball if it was pitched close to me. Luckily the balls I picked were in my areas. You need to know your off stump and leave the ball which is pitched outside off stump,' he said about his knock, only the second Test century of his career." he further added.
"In these conditions, the ball swings, so you need to bring in discipline in your batting. You have to play picking the balls which are on the fourth and fifth stumps. In 40, 50 or 70, you can get out to a good ball."
"I was just thinking that if I get a good ball, I can do nothing, but at least I should try not to play a bad shot and not go in search of boundaries. If the ball is in my range and my areas, I will hit that," he said.
Despite his heroics with the bat, the all-arounder does not believe in tags and feels he is a team man first before everything.
"I won't like to give myself any tag. Whatever the team needs, I try to perform accordingly. As an all-rounder, sometimes a situation comes when you need to score runs and either save or win the match for the team.
"In bowling, you are expected to give breakthroughs. I consider myself a team player. Whatever team needs, I try to do."
Jadeja said he enjoys batting with the dashing Pant as it makes life easy for him.
"There is to some extent less pressure while batting with Rishabh because he doesn't mercy any bowler. Standing at the non-striker end, I was feeling happy because England weren't focussing too much on me.
"They were looking to get Rishabh's wicket, but as a batter, you need to focus and concentrate on England because you can get a good delivery anytime," he said.
"So Rishabh and I were talking about building a long partnership because we had to put a lot of hard work to take the team to a good position from 98 for 5."
Jadeja is coming into this game after a dismal IPL season with the Chennai Super Kings, where he relinquished his captaincy midway to focus on his game.
"I had nothing in mind about IPL. Whatever has happened that is past, but when you are paying for India, the entire focus is on performing for the Indian team. If I perform well for India, there is no bigger satisfaction for me."
He also took a dig at England pacer James Anderson while reacting to the latter's comment that the Indian all-rounder thinks like a proper batter now.
"I always try to give myself time and build partnerships. Whoever is the set batsman at the other end, I try to give him company. Good that Jimmy Anderson has realised my potential after 2014. I am happy," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)