Playing four spinners is good strategy: Jadeja

Nagpur: Indian team`s ploy of playing four spinners at the cost of a second pacer would stand them in good stead in the second innings, feels debutant all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who dismissed Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen on the first day of the fourth cricket Test.

"Four spinners will come in handy later in the game. Especially in the second innings, via the bowlers` foot marks. Currently wicket is neither helping fast men nor spinners. I think spinners will get more and more help as the game progresses. Fast bowlers` deliveries are going slow after pitching," Jadeja said at the post-match media conference. England, at stumps on day one, at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha, had inched their way after opting to bat first to 199 for 5 in 97 overs, at a rate of just over two per over. Jadeja said his team was aiming to restrict the visitors to between 300 and 350 tomorrow. "The less number of runs we give the better it will be for us. Ball will start turning on day two or three. As footmarks, develop ball will starting turning more. We should restrict them to 300-350." According to Jadeja, who forced his way into the team as replacement for the under-performing Yuvraj Singh, the wicket appeared pretty flat and did not help either the new ball bowler or the spinners. "There is no turn on offer. It`s flat and very slow. Fast bowlers are also finding it difficult to bowl. No turn for spinners and bounce is low. Attempting to bowl stump-to-stump and not give them easy runs and boundaries so that they play wrong shots and get out." Jadeja said he was nervous when the game started before slowly getting into the groove and was very happy to get his first Test victim by dismissing Trott. "I felt very happy when I dismissed Trott my first wicket in Tests. I was a bit nervous too wearing the whites for India in Tests. Mahi bhai was saying bowl according to the wicket. It was important to bowl on the stumps." "He (Trott) survived a few close leg before shouts in my first spell. And after lunch, one of the balls turned in a bit and he thought it was outside the off and left it alone and bowled him." Jadeja said he could not believe the news conveyed to him by a teammate when he was fielding in the Ranji Trophy game for Saurashtra that he has been picked for the final Test. "I heard the news that I had been picked for the Test while fielding (at Rajkot). One of my teammates told me, but I could not believe it and did not know whether he was fooling me or it was real. "It did not allow me to think about what to do or not do as the Ranji game ended on 11th and I am playing today. It was good that I did not have to think much. It`s a dream for everyone to play Test cricket for India and it was mine too." He pointed out that it was senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar who had handed over his one-day cap and did the same today by giving him his Test cap. "I am feeling very happy that Sachin Tendulkar gave me my One-day cap earlier and today he gave me my Test cap," said Jadeja, who played the first of his 58 ODIs three years ago at Colombo against Sri Lanka. PTI