New Delhi, Oct 20 (PTI) Ravindra Jadeja is more than handful on a batting-friendly track with his pinpoint accuracy but when it comes to pitches that offer slightest of help, he turns into a lethal weapon.
The all-rounder with his parsimonious bowling and gun-fielding has been undoubtedly India’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ in terms of utility. He has become the x-factor in the middle overs in the ongoing World Cup.
He wouldn’t have the manic following of Virat Kohli, whose centuries would leave the crowd in raptures nor does he have that silken touch of Rohit Sharma, who sends the ball soaring into the stands.
He won’t leave everyone with mouths gaping as Jasprit Bumrah does often like the toe-crusher that left Mahmudullah Riyadh all at sea on Thursday.
Yet, leaving Jadeja out of playing XI isn’t an option that can even remotely be explored. Jadeja is like salt, which is a must in any cuisine. You simply can’t rustle up a good dish without salt and in this Indian set-up, Jadeja is that salt, which when added to the taste makes for a mouth-watering dish.
Jadeja’s numbers in this current World Cup aren’t staggering if one goes by the seven wickets that he has picked from four games but his spells in the middle overs have been highly responsible for putting brakes on the scoring.
It is his accuracy that has allowed Kuldeep Yadav to attack more from the other end.
Jadeja has so far bowled 131 dot balls across four games 37.5 overs. This effectively means that he has bowled dot balls worth 21.5 overs. The dot ball percentage is an astounding 58.22.
The number of boundary balls is just 11 across four games — 9 fours and two sixes.
IS JADEJA DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT? ========================= So what has Jadeja done differently in this World Cup which he hasn’t till now? Well, when he was asked this question after the first match, his answer was hilarious but a way to stonewall the question.
“Aap ko strategy bataaoonga nahi. Aap Angrezi mein chaapoge aur log padh lenge (I won’t reveal my gameplan. You will write in English and people will read it and know about it),” Jadeja had said in his inimitable style.
Former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, one of the most astute readers of the game, explained Jadeja’s lethal transformation during the World Cup compared to earlier years.
“Jadeja is mixing it up nicely during the World Cup. If you look at his action from earlier times, it used to be round arm, he would bowl a lot of under-cutters because of that,” Kartik explained while speaking to
Source: PTI News
