Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels that the India spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja didn’t have a great season with both bat and ball, even after they became the second T20 World Cup champions, after beating South Africa, in the final of the competition, at the Kensington Oval, in Bridgetown, Barbados.
A day after the triumph, the left-hander brought curtains down on his career, which lasted for 15 long years, where he featured in 74 T20I games, managing 515 runs at an average of 21.45 and a strike rate of around 130.
The Saurashtra-born Ravindra Jadeja also picked up 54 wickets in this format, in 71 innings, at an economy of just a tad over seven, and an average of under 30.
‘Ravindra Jadeja’s numbers are not that good in T20 cricket’- Akash Chopra
When it comes to being part of the T20 format, Ravindra Jadeja has powered 3684 runs in 332 games, mostly being a huge member of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), while he has collected 225 wickets in 300 innings, at an economy of 7.59, and an average of over 30.
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The former India batter Akash Chopra observes in a video on his YouTube Channel, that the all-rounder hasn’t delivered as expected in the shortest format of the game, as he was struggling even in this recent T20 World Cup 2024.
‘Ravindra Jadeja – an interesting one actually because considering the sort of player he is, it seemed like he was cut out for T20 cricket.’ Chopra remarked on his YouTube video. ‘However, his numbers are not that good in T20 cricket, especially in international cricket, and this World Cup was also not like that.’
The team management, despite the poor form of the all-rounder, kept on going with him for the entire competition, while Rohit Sharma towards the end of the event seemed to have lost his belief in Jadeja’s bowling.
Chopra noted the same and pointed out that he played a very important knock in the semifinal against England, managing a vital knock but didn’t do any justice to his bowling.
‘However, this is the way it is. At times, you are a part of a team that has the belief that Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) is there. So they kept faith in Jaddu and played him all the matches. In fact, this team used only 12 players in this entire campaign.’ The renowned commentator voiced. ‘He played a very important short knock in the semi-final. He didn’t do that well in bowling, there is no doubt about it.’
Ravindra Jadeja ended this T20 World Cup 2024, with 35 runs, which included a nine-ball 17-run unbeaten knock in the semis against England, while with the ball, he has one solitary wicket at an economy of 7.57 in 14 overs he bowled.
Chopra picked up how the all-rounder’s spectacular fielding, bowling-spinning conditions, and batting ability towards the end have been the plus points of his career.
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‘If we keep this World Cup aside, he has been good. He has been an incredible fielder. You might not get a better fielder than him in modern-day cricket.’ Chopra reveled. ‘If you give favorable conditions, he bowls extremely well, and he has the batting might as well.’
He recalled that moment of the IPL 2023 final, where the batter Jadeja helped CSK get the trophy in the last ball finish, and shed light on how he selected the right moment to announce T20I retirement along with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
‘Since he has bid goodbye to T20I cricket, I am not going to talk about the IPL final because he has also done the cometh the hour, cometh the man job as a big-match player.’ Chopra concluded. ‘Like Rohit and Kohli, I think Ravindra Jadeja’s decision has also come at the right time.’