Like everyone else, Ravindra Jadeja too was shocked to hear of Shane Warne’s sudden demise. Jadeja, who shone under Warne’s captaincy in the inaugural IPL in 2008 for Rajasthan Royals, “wasn’t feeling well” when he came to know that the spin maestro was no more.

“It was a shocking news. The moment I came to know of it, I was so sad and just wasn’t feeling well. I found it difficult to believe that this could be true,” Jadeja said after the proceedings of Day II of the first India-Sri Lanka Test in Mohali.

Expressing his gratitude for Warne, Jadeja added: “When I first met him in 2008, he was already a legend and I couldn’t believe that I would be playing alongside a player of his stature.

“We were just coming out of the U-19 level, and then to share the dressing room with someone like Shane Warne was a huge, huge thing for youngsters like us. He gave me a big platform and after my U-19 days, it was a direct entry into the IPL.”

Warne’s passing away shows the fickle nature of life and its uncertainty, Jadeja stated. “His death shows that there are no certainties in life.

“Anything can happen anytime and such a piece of news does come as a shock. You feel, ‘what the hell is happening?’ I pray that his soul rests in peace.”

Decision to declare

The way Jadeja was batting, it appeared he would stroll to his maiden Test double hundred. But with 25 away from the 200 mark, he suggested the Indian team management to declare the innings.

“I told them that there’s variable bounce and deliveries have started turning more. So I sent a message that there’s something on offer from the strip and suggested we should put them in to bat as early as possible,” Jadeja said.