IPL Stats: 3 best spells by Ravindra Jadeja
The worth of an all-rounder in cricket is one that cannot be described by just mere words. Crucial runs with the bat and a testing spell with the ball are what defines an all-rounder, and one such player who has consistently proven his worth is Ravindra Jadeja.
A left-arm spinner who can contribute with some power hitting down the order, Jadeja does suit into the role of an all-rounder, but what makes him a class apart from the others is his bullet arm, which has scalped the best of batters of his time.
One of the best fielders in modern cricket, Jadeja's value to the team has not gone unnoticed, going by his contract worth ₹9.5 Cr with the Gujarat Lions for two seasons. Although Jadeja did not have the best of seasons with the Lions, he was retained by the Chennai Super Kings, along with MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, for IPL 2018.
A veteran IPL player who has played since the inception of the league, Jadeja has to his credit 1821 runs from 154 matches at a strike rate of 122.70, and in addition to that, 93 wickets as well.
A go-to bowler for MS Dhoni in times of peril, Jadeja has also produced quality spells for CSK in the past. Here are the top three spells from Ravindra Jadeja.
#3 4/12 v Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL 2014)
Drafted into the side in 2012, Ravindra Jadeja formed an important part of the bowling attack as he picked up 12 wickets in that season, and did better in 2013 with 13 wickets.
2014 started on a harsh note for Jadeja as he had picked just 6 wickets from five matches, and was up against a power-packed batting unit from KKR with the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, and Jacques Kallis.
CSK put up 148/3 on the board courtesy of a half-century from Brendon McCullum, and with the pacers unable to snare wickets, MS Dhoni turned to R Ashwin early on. Ashwin removed Kallis in his first over and with turn on offer, Ravindra Jadeja was summoned.
Jadeja struck with his first ball as Manish Pandey failed to read the pace off the pitch and offered a simple catch to McCullum. Shakib Al Hasan walked in, danced down the track off his first ball and offered a catch to Mohit Sharma at deep mid-wicket.
A dream start for Jadeja, with two wickets off his first two balls and one run off the over, gave him the confidence as he returned in his next over and trapped Suryakumar Yadav in front to set the cat amongst the hens with KKR reeling at 65-5.
With Ashwin receiving a battering at the hands of Yusuf Pathan and Uthappa, Jadeja was thrown the ball to put an end to the partnership which is what he did - tempting Uthappa to innovate and lose his wicket.
At the end of his four overs, Jadeja's figures read 4-0-12-4 and was rightfully adjudged as the Man of the Match for his efforts.
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