Buoyed by Virender Sehwag's encouraging words and a determination not to repeat the mistakes he made in the West Indies, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is confident of doing well against Australia to cement his place in the One-day team.
"Australia is the no 1 team in the world and I hope to do well against them if given a chance. A good performance against Australia will always be remembered and would benefit my career," Jadeja said.
Jadeja made his debut for India in June this year against Sri Lanka and was also a member of the squad for the ODI series in West Indies.
But his poor show with the bat in limited matches he played, forced the selectors to drop him from the Champions Trophy-bound squad.
However, banking on some impressive performances in domestic circuit, the Saurashtra all-rounder returned to the team for the first two ODIs against Australia in place of out-of-form Yusuf Pathan.
Recalling his last stint with the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side, Jadeja, who has played three ODIs said, "I had played two ODIs in the West Indies and on both the occasions I got out in similar fashions, playing loose shots."
"After getting dropped, people around me kept on asking questions. It was the most difficult period of my career. During that period I used to remain confined to my home in Jamnagar and took it up as a challenge to return to the team with a good performance," Jadeja said.
"I saw video tapes and tried to figure out what went wrong. My family also supported me a lot during that period and kept on encouraging me," he added.
His efforts soon bore fruit as good performances in JP Atray Trophy and in the Irani Trophy, where he played for Rest of India under Virender Sehwag, earned him back his place in Team India.
"I had a few good knocks including a 94 in the JP Atray in Mohali. I scored 77 (against Mumbai in our team's victory in the Irani Trophy.
"Virubhai (Sehwag) was there to encourage me and his words of support gave me a lot of confidence ahead of the Ranji season," Jadeja said.
"The coach, support staff and the seniors all are very supportive. The seniors tell me not to lose focus as ups and downs are part of cricket," said the 20-year-old.
Dhoni and Gambhir lead India to World Cup glory
Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord\'s in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard.An iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir was matched for intensity by the finest captain\'s innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as MS Dhoni trumped a poetic century from Mahela Jayawardene to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.
India vs Australia
Indian cricketers celebrate their massive 99-run victory over Australia in the second ODI match at The Vidarbha Cricket Association, Jamtha Stadium in Nagpur on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni struck a breathtaking 124 as India put up an all-round display to crush Australia by 99 runs in the second one-dayer to level the seven-match series 1-1, here on Wednesday.
Srilanka beat India in Idea Tri-Nation Series in Bangladesh on January 13 2010
Historically, when it comes to finals of triangular tournaments, Sri Lanka have had the upper hand over India, who in the last decade succeeded in winning just four in 21 finals. A familiar tale panned out in Dhaka, where a frenetic start was followed by an enthralling finish and the result was yet another tournament win for Sri Lanka over India.
Zimbabwe vs Kenya
Charles Coventry congratulates Hamilton Masakadza who made 178 runs and the highest of zimbabwe against Kenya, Zimbabwe v Kenya, 5th ODI, Harare, October 18, 2009. Zimbabwe won the series 5-1.
Champion Trohpy
Australian team celebrates after winning the ICC Champions trophy on October 5, 2009 at the end of the ICC Champions Trophy final match against New Zealand at Supersport park cricket ground in Centurion in Sauth Africa
Champion Trohpy Final
Australia\'s Shane watson and James Hopes celebrates the victory over New Zealand during the ICC Champions Trophy\'s final match in Centurion
India became number one test team first time in the history of cricket
Indian cricketers pose for a team photo after winning on the final day of the third Test against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Sunday, December 6, 2009. India won by an innings and 24 runs, clinching the 3-match Test series by 2-0. They also became the number one Test side for the first time in the history of cricket.
