Sanjay Manjrekar stacked up Ravindra Jadeja with rich praises after the all-rounder hit a match-winning 66 from 50 balls in the 3rd ODI against Australia in Canberra on Wednesday. Sanjay Manjrekar was pretty impressed with his batting as it was Ravindra Jadeja’s one of the best one-day inning we have seen, as stated by Sanjay Manjrekar.
The former batsman does not mince words when it is about the game and players. The cricketer-turned commentator and analyst has landed in trouble in the past for his opinions about big-ticket players but on Wednesday it was time for Sanjay Manjrekar to applaud Indian cricketing stars after their 3rd ODI win over Australia.
Ravindra Jadeja Had A Fun Time On The Pitch
Ravindra Jadeja walked in when India was in a do or die situation, losing the wicket of Virat Kohli for 63 as early as the 32nd over. The scoreboard read 152 for 5 when Ravindra Jadeja joined hands with Hardik Pandya. The duo went on to post an unbeaten 150-run stand in just 108 balls as the Indian record for the highest 6th-wicket stand in ODIs against Australia was broken.
Ravindra Jadeja batted and levelled-up in the last 5 overs, India picked up 76 runs in the said period to post a winning total of 302.
Sanjay Manjrekar Heaps Praise On Ravindra Jadeja
“Today, the last 3-4 overs, he was really smart about where he was scoring. Jadeja anticipated the ball well and I loved the fact he was able to score on the off-side, leg-side,” Manjrekar told Sony Six after India’s 13-run win.
“I thought he also took some pressure off Hardik Pandya, one of his best one-day innings we have seen in a long time. Only because of his flourish with the bat with Pandya, India were able to compete. I Want Jadeja to pick more wickets with the ball in ODIs,” Manjrekar added.
Manjrekar though said he wants Ravindra Jadeja to be more attacking with the ball in ODI cricket. Jadeja played in all 3 matches for India but picked up just 1 wicket while conceding at 6 runs per over.
“I want him to pick more wickets with the ball. I have said this about Jadeja a lot in the last one year, there’s been a steady improvement in the way he has been batting, but his bowling needs to improve a bit more to win matches for India. But purely on his batting performance today, hats off, brilliant,” added Manjrekar
Having opened their account in Australia, India will be looking to stitch a series of wins as they head into the T20I series, starting December 4 in Canberra.