With the May 1 deadline to announce the squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup fast approaching, the Indian cricket fans have been left sweating about all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s struggles with both bat and ball in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
Jadeja, India’s first-choice all-rounder across formats, has scored 157 runs thus far at a strike rate of 131.93. It makes him the 26th-best among Indians who have scored more than 150 runs this season.
With the ball, as well, the left-arm spinner has failed to deliver, picking four wickets while conceding 212 runs, the third-most for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) this season.
CSK batting coach Mike Hussey, however, is not too concerned about Jadeja’s loss of form and has backed the player to soon find his mojo.
“It doesn’t matter what day it is. He’s always been a key player for us. He’s one of our best players and plays a very important role with the bat, ball, and on the field. That’s why he’s been so great for us for such a long time,” Hussey said during the media interaction ahead of CSK’s IPL 2024 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“It makes him almost three players in one. Of course, he’s going to be very important tomorrow, but he’s important in every match that we play.”
Jadeja showed glimpses of his old self with the bat in the game against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on April 19 as he scored an unbeaten half-century (57 off 40) to help CSK post a modest 176.
Jadeja on his way to score a half-century for Chennai Super King against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana stadium. | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena/The Hindu
The target, however, was easily overhauled by LSG, which cantered to an eight-wicket triumph with an over to spare. Jadeja conceded 32 runs in his three overs and failed to pick any wickets.
“He just tries to play the situation of the game that is required at the time. If you look at his innings against the Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow, he scored very quickly. His fifty came off in about 30 deliveries.
“One of his strengths is being able to work the ball into the gaps. Use his pace, running between the wickets, and then picking the right times and the right bowlers to attack. So, you know you’re going to get days when the ball comes out of the middle and then flies, and you get other days where it maybe just doesn’t quite work out,” Hussey said.
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In the reverse fixture in Chennai, the allrounder scored just 16 at a strike rate of 84 and again failed to pick any wickets.
“In the last match, he didn’t get away with the fast start that he would have liked. But you know that can happen on any day. He’s still in a good frame of mind. He’s hitting the ball very well in the nets. He plays an important role for us, and there are no concerns. He’s playing good cricket at the moment,” the Australian added.
Jadeja picked 20 wickets in IPL 2023 and was the most successful bowler for CSK after Tushar Deshpande (21). He was the star of the final against Gujarat Titans, hitting two boundaries in the last two deliveries to take the Super Kings to its fifth IPL title.
He finished last season with 190 runs, striking at 142.85. Jadeja, though, has batted higher up the order in this IPL at No. 4-5, unlike his usual No. 6 spot.
The 35-year-old, however, has failed to match those heights this season.
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“He is playing a different role because in the last few years, he’s come in very late batting with MS (Dhoni) towards the backend, and this year, we’ve asked him a few times to come in at the No. 4 position, and sometimes, according to the situation, you need to just be free and go quite quickly.
“But there are other times when we’ve lost a couple of wickets in the PowerPlay, and then you need to take a little bit of time just to build the next partnership, and there he’s doing a pretty good job of actually reading the situation and playing accordingly,” Hussey said about the allrounder’s role in the team this season.
“I know we’re seeing some games up there where teams are just teeing off, but if the conditions and the match situation don’t dictate that, then you have to play differently. So, he’s doing a really good job, and he’s adapting to the different situations of the game,” he added.
With the World Cup in the USA and the West Indies slated to start a week after the IPL final on May 26, the Indian team management will be hoping to see Jadeja back at his belligerent best ahead of the tournament.
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