No wonder they call him ‘Sir Jadeja’ as the flamboyant Ravindra Jadeja produced a sparkling innings under pressure to snatch a tie for India just when it looked as if Ravichandran Ashwin’s dismissal had gifted New Zealand the match. India are still alive in the series, and MS Dhoni’s men will have to win the remaining two games to level the series.
SPORTZWIKI takes a look at the HITS and FLOPS among the Indian players from the 3rd ODI at Auckland, the men who can walk with their heads held high and the men who let the country down.
HITS :
1. Ravindra Jadeja – Just when the critics start calling for his head, Ravindra Jadeja produces a performance which silences his detractors. He did it in South Africa with that fantastic six-wicket haul at Durban and he has done it once again here in Auckland. The Southpaw came into bat when India were in a precarious situation needing over nine an over from the remaining 14 overs, but he stabilised the innings with Ravi Ashwin, maximising the use of the powerplay, and then took Mitchell McClenaghan and Corey Anderson to the cleaners to earn India a tie. His heroics in the final over of Anderson picking up 17 runs showed his temperament and big-hitting ability.
2. Ravichandran Ashwin – The reason why R Ashwin is such as asset for India is simply because he is more than a handful with the bat, justified by his tenacious innings of 65 off 46 deliveries. After MS Dhoni departed in an attempt to accelarate the scoring, Ashwin ensured that India made best use of the batting powerplay with controlled hitting and commendable shot-selection. He would be kicking himself for throwing the game away attempting a second six off Nathan McCullum.
3. MS Dhoni – Once again MS Dhoni was fighting a lone cause as the middle order again failed to deliver. The Indian skipper stabilised the innings with partnerships with Suresh Raina and Ashwin, and once again played a resilient knock of 50 after coming into bat with India in trouble at 79 for 4.
FLOPS :
1. Shikhar Dhawan – Shikhar Dhawan has failed to find his touch throughout the series, the pull/hook shot often bringing about his demise. Dhawan managed to get off to another start before a blinder of a catch from Martin Guptill sent him back to the pavilion.
2. Mohammed Shami – Although Mohammed Shami picked up two wickets, his line and length went missing and the man from Bengal was far too expensive for a bowler at the highest level, leaking 84 runs from his allotted ten overs.
3. Ajinkya Rahane – Ajinkya Rahane consumed 14 deliveries for his 3 runs as the Indian innings collapsed from 72 for 1 after 13 overs to 79 for 4 when the former Mumbai Indians batsman was dismissed. Rahane needs to work on his technique to succeed in these tricky conditions.
