Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann has picked Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as the key player for the finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia on Sunday. Rohit Sharma will have the opportunity to lead the Indian team to the third ODI World Cup title after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni.
Team India advanced to the finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 on home soil after winning all nine of their league games and the semifinal by thrashing the New Zealand side by 70 runs in the semifinal. In contrast, Australia lost their first two games of the season before winning seven straight to go to the semifinals and defeated South Africa by three wickets in the semifinal in a high-octane encounter.
During a discussion on CNN News 18, Graeme Swann feels that Ravindra Jadeja will x-factor player for India against Australia citing his success with the Chennai Super Kings in the 2023 Indian Premier League. He claims that Jadeja lives up to the expectations on important occasions and would stand up for the team in the high-pressure game.
“I am always going to look for the X-factor player, the rockstar, and that has to be (Ravindra) Jadeja. He has had a fairly quiet backend to this World Cup, mostly because the batting order hasn’t really given him anything to do.”
“I always look for big-time players, players when the pressure is on in the heat of the battle, times when even the world’s best fail, Jadeja absolutely lives for those occasions. Just look at the IPL last year, wins the whole IPL off the last two balls, a six and a four,” Graeme Swann said.
Ravindra Jadeja has played a crucial role in the Indian team over the last few years, and his ability to offer balance in the playing 11, especially in the absence of Hardik Pandya has helped the Indian team to register many memorable victories over the years.
Ravindra Jadeja Is Calmness Personified When He Walks Out To Bat – Graeme Swann
Graeme Swann praised Ravindra Jadeja for his ability to remain composed and calm under pressure. He thinks that Jadeja can score runs from any position, even in a challenging one, and that Australian batters will find it difficult to overcome the left-arm spinner in the ODI World Cup 2023.
“He is the sort of player who makes me so confident in the Indian team because even if wickets do fall, even if they do get in a chasing situation, he is calmness personified when he walks out to bat. It doesn’t look like he is bothered about anything. He can score all around and hit the winning runs.”
“Then with the ball, if it’s turning especially, the Aussies do not know how to play Jadeja, they are like the English. We don’t know how to play Jadeja, neither do the Aussies. Of course, he is a spinner as well because I always look to the spinners,” Graeme Swann added.
In the opening game against Australia, Ravindra Jadeja’s remarkable delivery bamboozled Steve Smith by smashing the top of the off-stump. Apart from Steve Smith’s wicket, Ravindra Jadeja struck twice in short intervals to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey. He would be keen to repeat his heroics once again at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.