Jadeja's sister Naina says, 'He's always been a balanced cricketer'

Ravindra Jadeja's picture on Instagram

Naina Jadeja, sister of India's all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, on Sunday lauded her brother and went on to call him a "balanced cricketer."

Her remarks came after the conclusion of the first Test match as India recorded a comprehensive 203-run win over South Africa at Visakhapatnam.

"Jaddu was brilliant. Everyone has performed to his ability. The total output of the team was outstanding. In Test cricket, Jadeja has been performing really well. He has been a balanced player. His batting has improved a lot. Jaddu is improving his game daily," Naina Jadeja told ANI.

In the match, Ravindra became the quickest left-arm bowler to scalp 200 wickets in Tests while Ravichandran Ashwin became joint-fastest along with Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan to reach the milestone of 350 Test wickets.

"I am very happy that he became the quickest left-arm bowler to scalp 200 Test wickets. As Navaratri is going on, we can say the almighty is showering her blessings on him. Because of Jaddu, we feel very proud. For many years, Kohli and Jaddu have been playing together. It is really nice to see the skipper backing him," she said.

Ravindra and skipper Kohli have known each other since the U-19 World Cup in 2008. Naina said that it is nice to see how Kohli always backs Ravindra and gives him opportunities to shine as a batsman.

"They have both played together ever since the U-19 World Cup in 2008. Jaddu has been given an opportunity to showcase his batting skills," she said.

Rohit Sharma was exceptional in the match as he scored 176 runs in the first innings and then he went on to score 126 in the second innings. With this, he became only the second Indian opener to score centuries in both innings of a Test match.

In the first innings, India scored 502 runs and in response, South Africa came up with a spirited performance, as they registered 431 runs on the board.

But in the second innings, in pursuit of 392, Proteas' innings folded for 191 runs as pacer Mohammad Shami scalped five wickets enabling India to register a victory before the tea interval.

"It is a good feeling as South Africa is a good team. They are no pushover. Our team had to fight hard, but our side is a very balanced outfit. Rohit Sharma performed really well. Mayank Agarwal also played in a brilliant manner. Ashwin who was returning to the side after a long time bowled an inspiring spell in the first innings," Naina Jadeja said.

With this win, India has now consolidated its position at the top of World Test Championship standings. The team now has 160 points from three matches.

India and South Africa will next take on each other in the second Test, slated to begin from October 10.

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