"The track has bounce but no pace off the pitch if you don't use shoulder": Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja (Pic: File Pic)

Team India's Ravindra Jadeja is happy with his five-wicket haul in Test cricket but stated that bowling in humid conditions was indeed a hard work.

Ravindra Jadeja's 14th five-wicket haul came after a brief period of lull as he looked menacing while mixing deliveries, pitching it on good length spots and letting the variable bounce and abrasive surface work in his favour.

However, Jadeja's assessment of the track was also an indicator that possibly Ravichandran Ashwin has lost a bit of pace in his deliveries as it required more shoulder effort to get the zip off the surface.

Also Read: IND vs NZ 3rd Test: India 86/4 at stumps on day one, trail New Zealand by 149 runs

"I thought you need to mix and match (in terms of speed). The wicket has bounce but off the surface, the ball isn't taking off. Unless you put in a lot of shoulders and get the revs, it is difficult," Jadeja told Jio Cinema.

"It was a special effort as it wasn't no easy to bowl in this heat. Even Washy (Washington Sundar) bowled well and everyone played their roles to perfection. Now our batters will need to perform collectively," Jadeja said.

When asked whether he is aware of going past Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja said that he only checks statistics when a series is not on and he is at home.

After losing three wickets, Ravindra Jadeja said that the first target on day two will be to bat well and score those 150 runs which will help them to get a lead in the first innings.

Team India ended their first day with a score of 84 runs for the loss of four wickets. The hosts are still trailing by 149 runs after bowling out New Zealand for 235 runs in 65.4 overs. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are still unbeaten on the scores of 31 and one run, respectively.

(With PTI Inputs)