Jadeja's hundred underlines his evolution as a genuine Test batter

In the previous Test Ravindra Jadeja played in England, the fourth game of this series at The Oval, questions were raised over why he was promoted ahead of Ajinkya Rahane in both the innings? Yes, the left-hander always got important runs when the team needed, but was not a specialist batter while Rahane also had copybook technique and controlled stroke-play. The debate didn't stop despite India's win for a 2-1 lead before Covid halted the series.

- Sanjjeev K Samyal

Ten months on, Jadeja scored a brilliant hundred in the first innings of the fifth Test at Edgbaston. He not only rescued his team, but also batted in a manner that would make any top-order player proud. He was so sure where his off-stump was, which is particularly important in seaming conditions in England.

Of course, there were cover drives and on drives along the ground that took the breath away as he hit 104 to help India reach 416 all out on Day 2. It is Jadeja's third Test century, and second this year. The beauty of the all-rounder's batting is that he adjusts as per the situation, batting at a different tempo each time. There are enough examples of that in this series itself.