# Jadeja: low batting order hurt confidence, prefers slow turner 2026-08-16T07:00:39+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has opened up about the early years of his international career, saying that being pushed down the batting order to No. 8 or 9 made him feel the team did not have faith in his ability with the bat. Speaking on day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Jadeja told broadcasters that watching a fast bowler pick a ball while he sat padded up left him 'disturbed' and questioning his place. He recalled often batting below Ravichandran Ashwin, which further dented his morale. Jadeja, who has a first-class batting average above 60, said he now prefers a slow turner over a rank turner so he can contribute runs as well as wickets. The pitch in Galle is dry and offering turn, which he expects to increase as the game progresses. On day one, Devdutt Padikkal scored an unbeaten 131 and KL Rahul made 77 to take India to 288 for 2. Rain has delayed the start of day two. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - telanganatoday.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T08:03:09+00:00. Tags: Devdutt Padikkal, India national cricket team, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Sri Lanka national cricket team Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ravindra-jadeja-opens-up-on-confidence-struggles-in-early-india-career/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ravindra-jadeja-opens-up-on-confidence-struggles-in-early-india-career/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/