Practice pitch was a bit uneven, says Ravindra Jadeja

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja today said that the practice wickets at the newly built stadium in Ranchi had "uneven bounce" which did trouble the senior players like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh during final practice session ahead of the third ODI against England.

"It was a bit of uneven it seemed. The bounce was good. It was not like a match-wicket. We will see tomorrow how the main strip behaves," Jadeja said at the pre-match press conference.

Skipper Dhoni was hit on thumb by a rising delivery from bowling coach Joe Dawes while Virat Kohli was hit on the right hand after he misjudged the bounce.

Yuvraj Singh, too, had some difficulties negotiating the bounce as Indians found the going tough during the net session.

Jadeja, who won the man-of-the-match award in Kochi for his all-roun show feels that when the first match is played on a new strip, it's always better to field first.

"It's our first match and we don't know how the wicket is going to behave and the amount of bounce and turn on offer. It's better to field on this wicket. So, toss will be crucial here," Jadeja sounded apprehensive but hoped that the strip would be alright after being rolled a number of times.

The Saurashtra lad said that Ranchi pitch won't be a featherbed where 300 plus totals will be easily achievable.

I don't think this wicket is like the one in Rajkot. The outfield also doesn't seem that fast. But if the wicket is firm and has even bounce, it will help us prepare for the next

game in Mohali," concluded Jadeja.

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