All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja recalled his controversial spat with former India batsman turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar and explained his reaction after reaching his fifty during India’s run-chase at the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
Jadeja played arguably the best one-day knock of his career, scoring 77 off 59 balls and reigniting India’s hopes of going past the Kiwi total at Manchester. Upon reaching the 50-mark, Jadeja offered an interesting reaction as he looked towards the commentary box and gestured as if asking, ‘What now?’.
The reaction was borne out of anger that Jadeja had developed within him following Manjrekar’s assertion that he is more a “bits and pieces” cricketer in the white-ball arena while an excellent Test player. Jadeja had at the time tweeted that Manjrekar, in his opinion, indulged in “verbal diarrhoea.”
Recalling the issue now after two years, speaking to the Indian Express, Jadeja stated that he was indeed aiming for Manjrekar when he looked at the commentary box after reaching his fifty.
“Tab toh Bhatta garam tha, na! (The grill was hot, then!) I was searching for the commentary box. Then I thought, it must be somewhere there, only. And those who understand would know who I was targeting the celebration at!”
, Jadeja was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Jadeja also talked about his remarkable progress as a Test match batsman as he is now a dependable No.7 for India irrespective of the conditions and gives skipper Virat Kohli the option to play five specialist bowlers without having to worry about his team’s batting depth.
Since the start of 2016, Jadeja is averaging 24.57 for his left-arm spin bowling with 152 wickets and boasts of a batting average of 46.28 with 1,481 runs, including a solitary hundred and fourteen half-centuries.
Jadeja said the real turnaround for him happened at the 2018 Oval Test match where he displayed highly improved technical acumen in difficult conditions against James Anderson and Stuart Broad and played a fighting knock of 86 not out.
“That Test changed everything for me. Poora (complete) game. My performance, my confidence, everything. When you score in English conditions against the best bowling attack, it greatly impacts your confidence.”
“It makes you feel your technique is good enough to score anywhere in the world. Later, Hardik Pandya got injured and I made my ODI comeback. From then on, my game has been going well, touchwood.”
he said.
Jadeja, unfortunately, had to undergo an extended injury lay-off earlier this year after suffering a blow to his thumb while trying to fend a bouncer from left-arm quick Mitchell Starc during the New Year’s Test in Sydney. The all-rounder missed the following Test in Brisbane and also the all-format home series against England, spanning February-March, as he went through rehabilitation after thumb surgery.
Thankfully, Jadeja made a swift recovery and comeback to the on-field action via the IPL 2021 for Chennai Super Kings in April. Having enjoyed an unexpected break due to the T20 tournament’s suspension in May, Jadeja will now be seen in action during the marquee summer in the UK.
The cricketer is currently going through a pre-tour isolation phase in Mumbai and the rest of the Indian squad. Indian players will have another phase of quarantine after reaching England, albeit with the exemption to train, ahead of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, starting June 18 in Southampton.
Kohli and company will stay in the UK through July and play some intra-squad matches heading into the five-Test series versus England, which begins on August 4.
