When Ravindra Jadeja forced journalists to laugh their lungs out while describing the Kanpur pitch.
Ravindra Jadeja left the journalists into splits when he stopped just short of using a 'gaali' (cuss word), albeit humorously, during the press conference at the end of third day's play between India and New Zealand in Kanpur on Saturday.
Incidentally, Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson and opener Tom Latham had led a strong New Zealand reply with unbeaten half-centuries before rain washed out the final session of the second day of the first test on Friday, but the spin duo of Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin exploited a turning track to the fullest to bundle out the visitors for 262 on the very next day. So, Jadeja was asked what exactly was going through his mind when Williamson and Latham were piling up the runs.
Replying to this query, the Saurashtra spinner said, "Kahin na kahin to aisa lag raha tha ki turning track pe partnership break hone ke baad, naya batsman koi bhi jayega toh uske liye itna footmarks dekh ke udhar hi unki... (journalists were heard laughing their lungs out in the background) matlab...wo...udhar hi wo thora ghabra jayega ki itne footmarks samne hai. Wo ekdom hi confidently defend nahi kar payega (Whenever a new batsman walks in on a turning track, looking at the footmarks...the batsman might get scared because of the number of footmarks and not be able to defend confidently).
Now, it doesn't need rocket science to guess what Jadeja was thinking in his mind while saying 'udhar hi unki...'. The good thing is that he stopped himself from spilling out any expletive in the nick of time but not before treating the reporters to a healthy bout of fun.
Watch: Ravindra Jadeja's hilarious press conference
Jadeja also reserved high praise for coach Anil Kumble. The spinner said he received a lot of tips from the stalwart, who is the format's third highest-wicket taker in the world. "He asked me to bowl in rough areas and look for angles and bowling from wide off the crease. There were a lot of footmarks around the off stump area. He told me that those marks will have a bearing on the minds of the batsmen," he said.
Jadeja said they are so used to playing on such pitches and conditions that they don't have to think differently to perform at home. "I have been playing on these pitches for the last so many years. Since my Under-14, Under 16, Under 19 days, I have played on similar pitches, same conditions. We have also played on underprepared pitches so that gives you experience," he said
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