During the hugely anticipated clash between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup, eyebrows were definitely raised when all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat at number 4 following the dismissals of openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma.
While no one could’ve predicted to see Jadeja arrive to the crease that early in the contest, former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa believes that the decision to send him up the order was a good one and backed by facts and logic.
Being the only left-hander in the team after regular wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant was left out in order to accommodate Dinesh Karthik as a finisher, Team India needed to be shrewd in how they utilized Jadeja. The idea was that the 33-year-old would provide the perfect foil against the leg spin of Shadab Khan and the left-arm spin of Mohammad Nawaz.
Jadeja was also asked to hold up one end in order to provide for the constant left-hand, right-hand batting combination as well as keep ticking the scoreboard.
“Nobody I think saw that (Jadeja at No. 4) coming. It was a good call. It was a good move. Something that no one really foresaw. I actually quite like that decision. Going for a bit of Pakistan’s perspective, in hindsight, they could have bowled that one over of the left-arm spinner (Nawaz) in the first six, because they had two right-handers (batting) and it was the right time,” said Uthappa on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out show after the match ended.
The move paid off richly for the Men in Blue as Jadeja continued to pile up runs and held up his end with some smart cricket. Jadeja shared decisive 36-run and 52-run stands with Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya respectively, which proved to be match-winning from the team’s perspective.
He eventually scored 35 off 29 with the help of two boundaries and two maximums to finish as the team’s highest scorer in the game. Jadeja’s long-haul innings allowed Hardik Pandya the opportunity to go all guns blazing in the final two overs.
His presence at the crease also meant that Pakistan couldn’t complete the full quota of Mohammad Nawaz’s overs and as a result, he was tasked with bowling the all-important final over. Although he did eventually get the better of Jadeja by castling him as the latter went looking for a glory shot, by that point, India were well on their way to chase down the target of 148 with five wickets in hand.
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