"The actual hero was Ravindra Jadeja" - Sanjay Manjrekar on India restricting Australia to 188
Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Ravindra Jadeja was primarily responsible for India restricting Australia to a below-par score in the first ODI at the Wankhede in Mumbai on Friday (March 17).
Jadeja registered figures of 2-46 in nine overs and took an outstanding catch as Hardik Pandya and Co. bowled out the Aussies for 188 after asking them to bat first. The Men in Blue then chased down the target with five wickets and 61 deliveries to spare to start the three-match series on a winning note.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Manjrekar was full of praise for India's bowling performance, singling out Ravindra Jadeja:
"This was one of India's best bowling performances in white-ball cricket in a long, long time. The way Mitchell Marsh was playing and the start they got, all of us were thinking that the par score might be 350. Yes, Shami and Siraj picked up wickets, but I feel the actual hero was Ravindra Jadeja."
Manjrekar added that the spin-bowling all-rounder's dismissal of Mitchell Marsh and sensational catch of Marnus Labuschagne changed the complexion of the game:
"Mitchell Marsh's wicket and then Marnus Labuschagne's catch. They were the turning points. If those wickets had not come, they had so much depth and power in their batting that they would have reached close to 350."
Australia were comfortably placed at 129-2 in the 20th over, with Marsh and Labuschagne having strung together a 52-run third-wicket partnership.
Jadeja had Marsh caught by Mohammed Siraj at short third man before taking a one-handed diving catch of Labuschagne off Kuldeep Yadav to trigger a batting collapse.
"It was not only with batting and bowling" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Ravindra Jadeja's all-round performance
Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that Jadeja stood out in all three departments of the game:
"He made a Test comeback after five months, and he was the Player of the Match in the first two matches. This was after eight months, and here also he was the Player of the Match. It was not only with batting and bowling, all three contributions - an important catch as well."
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by praising Jadeja for his calm approach during India's run chase:
"The comeback he has made after the injury, straightaway Player of the Match performances - this happens very few times. The calmness with which he plays these days and the confidence he has that if he stays in the middle, he will take the team home, so well done."
Jadeja joined KL Rahul in the middle when India were in a spot of bother at 83-5 at the fall of Hardik Pandya's wicket. The duo strung together an unbroken 108-run sixth partnership to take the team home.