Ravindra Jadeja has been in red hot form. It would be safe to say that he’s currently the best player in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad. Be it with the bat, bowl or even in the field. Jadeja never missed a chance to contribute in some way or the other. Take the recent game against RCB itself. He not only scored a half century which included a 37 run over in the final over but he also took 3 wickets in the second innings including the wickets of AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell. If that wasn’t enough, it was his direct hit that resulted in the run out of Dan Christian. Like us, CSK coach Stephen Fleming too feels that Ravindra Jadeja is at his peak right now.
“He’s a key member of the side. He’s at the peak of his powers. In the last game (against RCB), you don’t think you can ask a player to do more. He has worked very hard, but there were doubts as he came into the tournament playing very little cricket (due to injury). He trained very hard to get that speed.” Fleming said. He also spoke about how Jadeja is an all format player and plays well in the longest version of the game. “He’s not just a top player in the T20 format, but longer formats too. He’s right now at his prime, and we are lucky to have him.” “He also forms the core of the middle-order, and that allows us to have a lot of options within the team due to his skill-set,” added the former New Zealand captain. Fleming himself has been closely associated with Jadeja since 2012 and has helped him worked on his weaknesses. There’s a reason why Fleming is considered to be one of the smartest cricketer there is.
Since IPL-2020, he has scored 341 runs at an average and strike rate of 56.83 and 175.8 respectively In the last five years, his Test cricket, his batting average has read 46.3. Even in ODIs, he has averaged almost 43 in the past two years. With five wins in six matches, CSK are at the top of the points table and will face defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday. Jadeja’s services weren’t required in the last match against SRH, however taking MI’s team and their record against CSK into account. He most likely has to be at his best if CSK are to even think of beating the mighty MI.