'We hope to maintain intensity'

After coming up with stellar effort with ball and on the field, Ravindra Jadeja said on Friday that getting early wickets had helped India register a comfortable series-leveling win.

“We got some early wickets today, and maintained the pressure throughout the Australian innings. Then we got an excellent start from Sehwag and Gambhir, and the latter stayed till the end of the match. So, it was an all-round effort from us, and hopefully we can maintain the run,” said Jadeja, who was adjudged the man of the series.

On India’s defeat in the first T20, Jadeja said, “The wicket was flat when the Australians batted, and then the rain came, and the pitch changed drastically. They got some spin and since the ball gripped and came on to the bat, we never got any runs in the beginning and in the middle period. But today the pitch remained the unchanged, and we came up with a strong effort.”

Jadeja, who grabbed the vital wicket of David Hussey, said he needed to vary his pace to get wickets on Australian pitches. “Australian pitches are different, and I was mixing slower ones with those quicker deliveries. To have variation is an important part for a bowler in these kind of matches,” he said.

Australian skipper George Bailey said they didn’t put up a good score on the board, and paid handsome compliments to the Indian fielders. “We lost some early wickets that in the end reflected in our total. But credit goes to the Indian fielders for producing a brilliant effort, and guys like Raina and Jadeja have been excellent on the field. We saw a different energy from this Indian side. We have been wondering why this Indian side has not scored a win so far in the series,” Bailey said.