IPL 2018: 3 reasons why CSK are persisting with Ravindra Jadeja
Once upon a time, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were the pillars of CSK bowling line-up. They were the go-to men of Dhoni whenever the team was in need of quick wickets to control the run flow. However, the team management decided to retain only Jadeja ahead of the 2018 auction.
In the ongoing edition, Jadeja’s role in the playing XI remains unclear to the outsiders. In the eight games, he played so far, only once has he completed his quota of four overs (against Delhi Daredevils). He did not get chance to bowl in two games. In total, he had bowled only 14 overs conceding 115 runs with just two wickets to his name. With the bat, he had scored 47 runs from 39 deliveries. In two games, he remained not out in the non-striker end without facing a single ball. Besides, he did not get chance to bat in one of the games.
The above numbers suggest that Jadeja does not deserve a place in the starting XI. However, Dhoni will look to persist with him for the entire tournament. There can be only three possible reasons for Dhoni’s decision to continue with Jadeja. Let us look at these reasons one by one.
#3 Fielding
Michael Hussey, the batting coach of CSK, openly admitted a few days earlier that his players might not be the best fielders in IPL. At the same time, he wanted his players to be smart in the field. Even Dwayne Bravo was standing inside the ring instead of his usual long-on position.
Nevertheless, Jadeja is still the finest & best fielder for CSK. Oppositions still fear to take their chances with his quick pickup and bullet arm throw. Even in the match against Mumbai Indians, he took a brilliant catch to dismiss Suryakumar Yadav. Dhoni always believes in the fact that lively fast fielders are the massive asset for a team in any format of the game. Therefore, it is a no-brainer that why Jadeja is still in the starting XI despite his limited opportunities with both bat & ball.