"CSK blood saving Indian team from humiliation stuff" - Fans react to Ravindra Jadeja’s 3-for in IND vs NEP Asia Cup 2023 match
Ravindra Jadeja starred with the ball in the Asia Cup 2023 game between India and Nepal at Pallekale in Sri Lanka on Monday, September 4. The left-arm spinner took three crucial wickets for the Men in Blue.
Jadeja first cleaned up Bhim Sarki for just seven runs, before getting Nepal captain Rohit Paudel cheaply, out caught at first slip. He also got Kushal Malla caught out for just two runs. The all-rounder finished with exceptional figures of 3/40 in his 10 overs.
With three crucial wickets, Jadeja also became the all-time joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. He has reached 22 wickets (in 15 matches) in the Asia Cup, equal with former India cricketer Irfan Pathan (22 in 12).
Fans on X (previously known as Twitter) lauded Ravindra Jadeja for his bowling performance after a promising start from Nepal. One user wrote:
"Three wickets in four overs for Ravindra Jadeja. Typical CSK blood saving the Indian team from humiliation stuff."
Here are some of the other reactions:
“India can’t do without him” – Sanjay Manjrekar on Ravindra Jadeja's role for 2023 ODI World Cup
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar lauded Ravindra Jadeja for his clinical bowling performance against Nepal. He picked the 34-year-old as the first-choice spin bowling all-rounder for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup in India, scheduled to be played from October 5 to November 19.
Manjrekar told Star Sports:
"There is a very good chance, it’s almost a certainty that he will play all the World Cup matches. India can’t do without him. Axar Patel will be there in the reserves but Jadeja will be the first-choice spin-bowling all-rounder. If the pitch is rough, if you have got a quality opposition, he will finish in 10 overs.”
Manjrekar, though, refused to compare Jadeja to legendary Yuvraj Singh, who played a big role when India won their last ODI World Cup title in 2011. He said:
"It's not fair to compare his batting with Jadeja. So I see him more as a bowling all-rounder with somebody who can be a threat at No. 7 or No.8. His white-ball career has changed completely in the last few years."
For the uninitiated, Jadeja was India's highest run-scorer in their semi-final against New Zealand before India crashed out of the 2019 World Cup. The left-handed batter scored 77 off 59 balls, including four sixes and as many boundaries.
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