Ravindra Jadeja – A one man army

Ravindra Jadeja

What a fascinating performance by the honourable Sir Ravindra Jadeja. Yesterday, his very timely innings of 66 runs provided a much needed lifeline to Team India.

MS Dhoni must be feeling very relieved about the way Jadeja has been able to manage a face saving effort for Team India. His role became much more important in view of the fact that the so-called specialist batsmen failed miserably again – for no obvious reason.

In the past, he has displayed his miraculous power on many occasions with timely performances with ball and bat. He has showed again as to what it means to be a fearless batsman.

Sometimes, it really does not matter how you bat – be it taking chances, playing risky shots or escaping narrow run outs – it’s all about the end result. As far as the scoreboard is moving and the target is getting closer, you are fulfilling your duty! This is what Sir did yesterday. Jadeja displayed his strong will power. He has been able to do this miraculous task only on the basis of his never give up attitude and total commitment.

In fact, it was more about a sense of responsibility rather than any personal agenda of creating records, which helped him bail out Team India. He has batted in a rather mature and wise manner. His confidence level was tremendous and I have not seen such fearless and bold batting recently. Especially, his meticulous stroke play drew praise from the commentators and fans alike.

Many of the fans believe that he played the role of a path finder in the challenging situation. His self esteem was at the highest possible level. It is not that he played in a very classical manner or displayed great technical batting skill – all he has done is just improvised according to each ball bowled to him. He played a very aggressive innings, ensuring that the required run rate remained under control.

Gradually he is transforming into a dependable all rounder. His contribution with the ball has been remarkable. Even in yesterday’s crucial match, when everyone was praising his batting, he also took 2-47! Apart from being a good bowler and batsman, Jadeja is a very good and trustworthy fielder. The best part about his batting was that he stayed focused throughout his innings.

He is a very contented player who knows his limitations. Due to his innovative shots, it was seemingly very difficult for the bowlers to judge as how he is going to treat the next delivery.

Finally, I would like to point out his statistics. His batting average in ODIs is pretty decent – 31.11. Also, he is ranked among the top all-rounders of the world as per the ICC rankings.

One cannot display such a wonderful performance unless he understands his duty towards his team. Hats off to this young man – he has grown a lot! He truly deserves the title of “Sir”!