How Jadeja mesmerised all
In the battle of table toppers, Dhoni’s CSK thrashed Kohli’s RCB following Jadeja’s all-round display
MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said that he always looks to bowl straight as it opens up many options to dismiss the batsmen.
Jadeja on Sunday evening not only whacked 37 runs in one over but also picked three key wickets (Washington Sundar, Glenn Maxwell, and AB de Villers) to help CSK thrash Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 69 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match here at the Wankhede Stadium.
“I look to bowl wicket to wicket if the surface is offering any assistance to the bowler. Because if the ball turns, the batsmen can get out caught behind or stumped and if the ball doesn’t turn the batsmen could get trapped in front of the stumps or he can also get bowled,” Jadeja told teammate Imran Tahir in a video posted on the IPL website.
“So I always target the wicket when I am bowling as it leaves many options open for me to dismiss the batsman,” the allrounder added.
In the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Jadeja took on Harshal Patel, who has been the pick of the RCB bowlers and smacked five sixes in his final over. Harshal had given just 14 runs in three overs before Jadeja came firing on all cylinders in the final six balls of CSK’s innings.
The CSK all-rounder said his plan was to slog the ball in the last over as he was “really tired” playing in the humid environment of Mumbai.
“I was really tired when the last over began as I had run many doubles. I told Mahi Bhai (MS Dhoni) that I will try and slog as many balls as possible because I was really tired and not to forget the humidity here,” said Jadeja.
“My plan was to slog the ball in the last over but I didn’t think about whacking five sixes.
“So I am really happy as it also helped the team in winning the game,” he added.
Bright prospect
Chennai Super Kings batsman Faf du Plessis lauded Ruturaj Gaikwad and said he is a fantastic player who has got a bright future ahead of him.
Opening with Du Plessis, Gaikwad played a knock of 33 of 25 balls studded with a six and four 4s. The South African himself smashed 50 off 41 balls.
“We have got such a long batting line-up but all you need is a start in any format you play.
So, myself and
Ruturaj enjoyed the partnership, we complement each other really well. He’s a fantastic player, he has got a bright future ahead of him. Times the ball so beautifully,” Du Plessis said in the virtual post-match press conference. “It was really good. Obviously, Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) has been playing very well this season. His batting has improved a lot. He has become a very consistent performer with the bat for us. What happened in the last over was no fluke. Jaddu trains well. He hits a lot of sixes in practice. It was a huge momentum shift. Up until that point, it was a par score. We were on 160-165, but the great hitting towards the end made it probably a bit too much for the opposition on a slow wicket,” he added.
A three-for, a wicketmaiden, and a direct hit with the ball aided by Tahir’s tight bowling helped CSK move to the top of the points table as they toppled RCB on Sunday.
Jadeja dismissed Sundar, Maxwell, de Villiers and ran Christian out as RCB was left gasping for breath. Imran Tahir too joined the party picking two wickets and resulting in a run out as RCB suffered a horrific collapse.
“I have always thought playing against Jaddu that he’s is the most dangerous fielder. When South Africa play against India, we always talk about being careful when running twos to Jadeja on the boundary because he has got an absolute cannon of an arm. He is diving around; he is stopping the balls. He is really leading from the front in that department. To be so accurate in the 30-yard circle is a great skill to have. Not a lot of people can hit the stumps as consistently as he does. He’s really enjoying his cricket at the moment. When a guy is oozing confidence like that, it is a great asset to have in your team,” Du Plessis said.
When asked about his scoop shot, he said, “It’s (scoop) the shot I really enjoy playing. I do practice it and I feel like I need a lot of balls into that area. Obviously, teams are smart and move around with it. But it’s important to me that my game plan evolves so that I can score in different areas not just rely on one option.”
“For me, my focus now moves onto the T20 cricket. I have decided to play as much T20 cricket as possible. Trying to play in few tournaments around the world. The 2023 ODI World Cup is a long way and obviously two years in a row of T20 cricket, I wanna make sure that I give myself the best opportunity. For now, IPL is the focus,” he added.
CSK registered their fourth successive win and will now take on SunRisers Hyderabad in Delhi on Wednesday.