With a pivotal role in the one-day series at home to England, the Australia Tests that followed, and now his latest exploits, Ravindra Jadeja is steadily transforming the dominant perception, says a report in The Hindu.
Once seen as a bit-part impostor out of his depth in the big league, the Saurashtra all-rounder — safe to call him that now — is today a vital cog in the Indian ODI wheel.
“In my earlier days, I wasn’t able to perform on the ground what I had planned,” he said, after his five for 36 against the West Indies at The Oval on Tuesday. “Now I don’t worry much about what is or isn’t going to happen. I only think about the ground, the conditions, what the team requires. I only think in one direction — what I need to do today.”
If Jadeja’s fielding and batting down the order helped India against South Africa in Cardiff, it was his turn and incessantly sharp bowling that changed the texture of the West Indies innings.
Meanwhile a report in The Times Of India says that apart from winning the two matches in Icc Champions Trophy so far, India have looked, by a fair distance, the most challenging team to beat in the tournament. Whether a stand-in opener or stitching a five-bowler specialist attack, adjusting to the weather or getting the spot-fixing controversy off their back, they've done what it takes to be seen as the strongest team in the Champions Trophy so far.
"You've got to give credit to them. Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja -- they have very good players all around," says Bravo.
Perhaps, in being able to make the most out of the resources available has been one of the reasons for Team India looking so good here. But more importantly, the secret lies in the manner MS Dhoni has marshalled his resources.
Talking to this young bunch, accommodating their weakness, backing their strengths, and above all, not letting any unrelated issue get to them at this point of time has mostly been Dhoni's doing.
Talk to any member of the Indian team informally, and the respect he has for Dhoni shows almost immediately. The skipper's conflict-of-interest theories notwithstanding, the mentoring he's done so far is reminiscent of the way Sourav Ganguly handled his younger bunch in the days post the match-fixing scandal in 2000.
According to Hindustan Times, the way India have fielded so far in the tournament, you understand what Dhoni was talking about all along. Rohit Sharma has been so brilliant that Dhoni jogged a good 20 yards to congratulate him after an acrobatic stop at point that restricted a certain Darren Bravo four to a single.
“Ravindra Jadeja has also set high standards. His run out of Robin Peterson, after a brilliant diving stop, changed the tide against South Africa. Suresh Raina has been impeccable. Even Dinesh Karthik, a wicket-keeper, has held good catches running back. In training sessions, India’s new-found dedication is in evidence. Fielding coach Trever Penney should be credited in this regard, and all the players take part in special fielding drills with zest,” says the report.
