Ravindra Jadeja: ‘He knows his role…’: Skipper Rohit Sharma heaps praise on ‘five star’ Ravindra Jadeja

NEW DELHI: While India’s pacers and batters have been the talk of the town during their unbeaten run in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has quietly demonstrated his immense value to the team. In the first four games, Jadeja’s skills were underutilised, but as he began to shine with both bat and ball, his worth in the starting XI became increasingly evident.
Captain Rohit Sharma commended Jadeja’s understanding of his role and the team’s expectations during a post-match interview, acknowledging the all-rounder’s significant contribution to the team.
“He knows his role and knows what the expectations are from him,” Rohit said.In the last four matches, Jadeja was provided the opportunity to exhibit his all-round abilities. He notched up three crucial knocks, scoring an unbeaten 39 against New Zealand, 35 against Sri Lanka, and an undefeated 29 against South Africa. In addition to his valuable runs at the No.7 position, he claimed seven more wickets in these matches, taking his total tally to an impressive 14 scalps in eight games.

The iconic

Eden Gardens witnessed a showcase of Jadeja’s complete repertoire on Sunday. First, he played a blistering innings, scoring an unbeaten 29 off 15 balls, which included a six and three boundaries. During this innings, he partnered with birthday boy Virat Kohli (101 not out off 121 balls), forging an unbroken 41-run stand for the sixth wicket in just four overs, propelling India to a formidable total of 326 for 5.
Jadeja’s impact was not limited to his batting. With the ball in hand, he wreaked havoc on South Africa’s in-form batting lineup, achieving his maiden World Cup five-wicket haul with figures of 5 for 33 in nine overs. Jadeja led the Indian bowling attack, and together, they bundled out South Africa for a mere 83 runs in just 27.1 overs. It marked the Proteas’ biggest ODI defeat in terms of runs.

Jadeja also became only the second India spinner to take a five-wicket haul in the ODI World Cup, after Yuvraj Singh, who returned figures of 5/31 vs Ireland in 2011 edition.
Rohit was effusive in his praise for Jadeja, emphasising his vital contribution to the team. He said, “Jadeja has been very good for us. Playing in every format over the years. Today was a classical case as to what Jadeja is for us. He came out at the death and scored vital runs and then picked up wickets.”

Jadeja’s versatility and match-winning performances have undoubtedly been a crucial factor in India’s dominant World Cup campaign.