IPL Stats: 3 best spells by Ravindra Jadeja

The worth of an all-rounder in cricket is one that cannot be described by just mere words. Crucial runs with the bat and a testing spell with the ball are what defines an all-rounder, and one such player who has consistently proven his worth is Ravindra Jadeja.

A left-arm spinner who can contribute with some power hitting down the order, Jadeja does suit into the role of an all-rounder, but what makes him a class apart from the others is his bullet arm, which has scalped the best of batters of his time.

One of the best fielders in modern cricket, Jadeja's value to the team has not gone unnoticed, going by his contract worth ₹9.5 Cr with the Gujarat Lions for two seasons. Although Jadeja did not have the best of seasons with the Lions, he was retained by the Chennai Super Kings, along with MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, for IPL 2018.

A veteran IPL player who has played since the inception of the league, Jadeja has to his credit 1821 runs from 154 matches at a strike rate of 122.70, and in addition to that, 93 wickets as well.

A go-to bowler for MS Dhoni in times of peril, Jadeja has also produced quality spells for CSK in the past. Here are the top three spells from Ravindra Jadeja.

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#3 4/12 v Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL 2014)

Drafted into the side in 2012, Ravindra Jadeja formed an important part of the bowling attack as he picked up 12 wickets in that season, and did better in 2013 with 13 wickets.

2014 started on a harsh note for Jadeja as he had picked just 6 wickets from five matches, and was up against a power-packed batting unit from KKR with the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, and Jacques Kallis.

CSK put up 148/3 on the board courtesy of a half-century from Brendon McCullum, and with the pacers unable to snare wickets, MS Dhoni turned to R Ashwin early on. Ashwin removed Kallis in his first over and with turn on offer, Ravindra Jadeja was summoned.

Jadeja struck with his first ball as Manish Pandey failed to read the pace off the pitch and offered a simple catch to McCullum. Shakib Al Hasan walked in, danced down the track off his first ball and offered a catch to Mohit Sharma at deep mid-wicket.

A dream start for Jadeja, with two wickets off his first two balls and one run off the over, gave him the confidence as he returned in his next over and trapped Suryakumar Yadav in front to set the cat amongst the hens with KKR reeling at 65-5.

With Ashwin receiving a battering at the hands of Yusuf Pathan and Uthappa, Jadeja was thrown the ball to put an end to the partnership which is what he did - tempting Uthappa to innovate and lose his wicket.

At the end of his four overs, Jadeja's figures read 4-0-12-4 and was rightfully adjudged as the Man of the Match for his efforts.

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#2 4/11 v Rajasthan Royals (IPL 2015)

Jadeja celebrates the fall of a wicket

Jadeja endured a rocky start on the bowling front to 2015 as he failed to pick up a single wicket in his first two games, and more importantly, was also bowling at an economy of close to 11.

However, Jadeja was back in his element against KXIP when he picked up 3-22 off four overs, but yet again, a slump in form saw him losing out overs to Pawan Negi, who was slowing making a mark with his spin and big-hitting.

With a four-match drought in picking wickets, Jadeja needed to put in a good performance with the ball, and found just the right opponent. The Kolkata Knight Riders, a team he had tormented in the previous season.

Brendon McCullum, with a 61-ball 81 had taken CSK to 157-5 from 20 overs, and the CSK pacers, who were having a good season, failed to make an impressive start. Mohit Sharma removed Rahane in the fifth over and then the spinners were introduced.

Jadeja came in during the seventh over and struck with his fourth ball, castling Steve Smith with a straight ball. Pawan Negi was taken for 10 runs in the next over until Jadeja tossed the ball up in the last ball of his second over, inviting Watson for a big hit as the ball nestled into Bravo's palms.

Jadeja had now picked two wickets in two overs and with RR needing 87 from nine overs, was asked to bowl his third. As if a pattern, Jadeja induced a false shot off Nair as an attempted sweep found a top edge which was accepted by R Ashwin at short fine leg.

With 68 runs needed off six overs, Jadeja, CSK's best bowler on the day, was back for his final over and struck with his first delivery, removing Deepak Hooda with a loopy delivery. With the RR middle order back in the hut, CSK managed to stem the flow of runs and in the end, win by 12 runs.

Jadeja finished with figures of 4-0-11-4, earning him the Man of the Match award.

#1 5/16 v Deccan Chargers (IPL 2012)

Jadeja exults after trapping Dale Steyn

Having previously turned out for the Rajasthan Royals and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Ravindra Jadeja's services were snapped up by the Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2012. While his statistics, 14 wickets from 41 matches, did not paint a pretty picture, his bowling ability came to the fore in 2012.

A poor start, 0/16 from 1 over against the Mumbai Indians, did not deter Jadeja as he came out all guns blazing in his second match for CSK, against the Deccan Chargers. Coming in to bat with CSK on 63-3 from 8.1 overs, Jadeja blasted his way to a 29-ball 48 laced with three fours and an equal number of sixes to take his team to a mammoth total of 193/6.

With the Chargers cruising in their chase at 77-2 in the 10th over, Jadeja was brought on, and he struck to remove Parthiv Patel with a drifter. With Shadab Jakati removing the dangerous Cameron White, Jadeja returned in his next over and castled Bharat Chipli, reducing the Chargers to 94-5 from 12.3 overs.

The same pattern followed as Jadeja and Jakati combined to pick one wicket every over that derailed the Chargers' innings. In his third over, Jadeja first had Manpreet Gony caught by Jadeja and had Dwaraka Ravi Teja stumped two balls later as DC slumped to 99-8.

In his final over, Jadeja had Steyn and Ankit Sharma playing all over until in the final ball, sensing an opportunity to pick up a five-wicket haul, Jadeja fired the ball towards middle stump, and with Steyn late to bring his bat down, the ball thudded into the pads as Steyn was ruled out plumb in front, rewarding Jadeja with his first IPL fifer with figures of 5/16 from the match.

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