India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja felt that it was unfair to judge the team after their twin defeats at the start of the T20 World Cup in the UAE given that the Indian team has been among the most consistent sides across formats over the last few years at home and abroad.
Jadeja, who was adjudged the Player of the Match for his 3 for 15 against Scotland in India’s must-win Group 2 game on Friday, was asked about the team’s performance against New Zealand and that India wasn’t “brave enough” during the game which they eventually lost by eight wickets.
“If you look at it that way, then in last two to three years, we have played some really good cricket, whether it’s in India or overseas. So it’s not fair to judge us on basis of one or two games,” Jadeja said after India’s 8-wicket win over Scotland.
“In T20 cricket, any team can have an odd bad game or two but you can’t think too much about those defeats. You have to move on and think about the opportunities ahead. We will take the positives from those two games and look to play well in future games,” he added.
India made only one change in their playing XI for the game against Scotland, bringing in an extra spinner in Varun Chakravarthy. But Jadeja explained that his role in the team remained the same.
“My role was same. I looked to take wickets in middle overs and bowl like how I bowl usually. No change in plans just because we were playing Scotland. It was a simple basic plan. Look to bowl in good areas and let the wicket do the rest.”
India will play their final group game against Namibia, another must-win clash. However, much will depend on Sunday’s game between Afghanistan and New Zealand. If New Zealand win the game, India will be eliminated from the race to the semis irrespective of the results in the Namibia clash.