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Let’s go back to the 2022 season of the IPL. Just a day before it began, MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to Ravindra Jadeja. For many, that decision came out of the blue, for there had been no murmurs of that sort prior to it.
Despite the suddenness, it felt that it was a move in the right direction. Dhoni, of course, could not be expected to play forever, and in Jadeja, CSK had a player who was at the peak of his powers.
Nothing of that sort transpired, though. The all-rounder found the captaincy gig tough and had to step down mid-season. Then, there were reports of a rift between him and the franchise – a rift that was only resolved hours before CSK had to finalize their retentions for the 2023 campaign.
Jadeja’s stock as a T20 cricketer also fell. That IPL season was followed by an Asia Cup where he was ravaged by injuries, which also made him miss the subsequent T20 World Cup.
In that period, Axar Patel, long cast as a like-for-like replacement, grew in stature as a white-ball player, making many social media warriors and some cricket experts question if Jadeja was no longer suitable for the shortest format.
The start of IPL 2023, from a batting perspective, followed that narrative too as the all-rounder failed to really hit his straps. There were occasions when thousands, clad in yellow at Chepauk, even cheered his dismissal – not because he was not doing what he was capable of, but rather, because they wanted to see Dhoni in the flesh.
Like champion cricketers, though, Jadeja grew as the tournament progressed. He still ended the season scoring less than 200 runs but some of those runs, especially in games that CSK really needed to win, only highlighted his worth and made those questioning his T20 credentials look, well, a little stupid.
Jadeja stood up to be counted for CSK in the IPL 2023 final
The magnum opus, of course, came in the final. When Dhoni fell and the Narendra Modi Stadium descended into a deathly silence, the onus was on Jadeja. On most occasions this season, the ace all-rounder has come out to bat with the security of his skipper sitting in the dugout, waiting for his turn.
Monday, however, was different. His captain could no longer influence proceedings, and everything that had to happen, needed to happen off the all-rounder’s blade.
Four balls into the final over, and it seemed CSK had let the title slip from their grasp. Ten runs off the last two balls, especially against a bowler of Mohit Sharma’s class is not easy. But that is for the average cricketer. Not for Jadeja. Not for one of the greatest all-rounders India has ever produced.
The penultimate delivery landed close to the left-hander’s hitting arc and he smashed it over the bowler’s head. Flat as a tank, and bringing the crowd to life.
A ball later, he had the smarts to stay still and capitalize on a rare Mohit error in line, helping the ball past short fine leg, and sealing a fifth IPL title for CSK.
As soon as the ball hit the fence, Jadeja was tearing off on his celebratory run. After being understandably mobbed by his teammates, the first person he sought was his skipper.
Dhoni, for once, was overcome by the emotion of it all. In a game where he had promoted himself to get the job done, he had failed. It could yet be his final T20 appearance, and you could almost feel that Dhoni felt he had let his side down.
But on Monday, one of his most trusted lieutenants Jadeja bailed him out. If anything, Dhoni would have been pleased more than most, not just because Jadeja finished things off in style, but also because of how he has now become the cricketer Dhoni thought he would always become.
The all-rounder has molded himself into such a vital commodity for whichever side he represents. He is, in many ways, the first name on the team sheet nowadays.
There was a time, though, very early in his career when there were question marks over whether he warranted a place in the India team. Dhoni kept the faith, ignoring all the outside noise, and the all-rounder kept doing what he does best to shut them all up – win games of cricket.
What makes the 34-year-old so pivotal to any team’s success is that he can contribute across any suit. His knock in the final, of course, will be the high-profile memory from this season but he also picked up 20 wickets – his most-ever in an IPL campaign.
Before all that final-over drama, he had accounted for Shubman Gill, who was in the form of his life - a perfect example of Jadeja providing breakthroughs just when CSK needed them.
He also won numerous Player of the Match awards, and whenever CSK needed someone to stand up, Jadeja did. That it came after a season, where many thought his time was done at the franchise and that he might seek newer pastures, gives this entire sequence an even more fairy-tale feel.
This was a redemption season for Jadeja, and it is fair to say that he accomplished it, while also casting himself further into CSK’s eternal cricketing folklore.
This is not a one-off either. Defying the odds has become the all-rounder’s favorite pastime.
Prior to the Test series against Australia earlier this year, there was the same chatter that preceded IPL 2023. Long injury lay-off, lack of bowling, 34 years of age, can Jadeja still do what he used to a couple of years ago?
2013 Champions Trophy. Should India be going in with such an inexperienced spinner? Does he have the wherewithal to survive on pitches in the United Kingdom? Has he put behind the disappointment of the 2009 T20 World Cup, where his innings effectively knocked India out of the competition.
Jadeja ended up winning the Player of the Series award against Australia earlier this year and was the leading wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy 10 years ago. These are just two instances, and the list, quite honestly, is endless.
So, what he did in the final, with the game on the line and with millions holding their collective breath, should not really be a surprise.
The moment he won the game, former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop, who was on commentary, exclaimed, “Never bet against Dhoni and CSK.” That is very much true, for all Dhoni and CSK have done over the years.
But you should never bet against Jadeja either. The more you doubt him, the stronger he comes back. The more you ask why he is so special and so backed, the more glimpses he will provide.
And of course, the more pressure you put him under, the more he will thrive. Some cricketers are just built differently. Jadeja is certainly one of those.
