Ravindra Jadeja - the answer to India's finishing doubts at the T20 World Cup

Sir Ravindra Jadeja. It started with fans on social media criticizing a young Ravindra Jadeja for his forgettable performances at the T20 World Cup in 2009. Looking back, a series of brutal trolls seemed to ignite a spark in the young all-rounder. Almost giving him a point to prove to his doubters. Of course it did. The people of Rajput are known to be a proud bunch and Jadeja is no different.

What started out as a meme for social media soon turned into a daunting reality for the opposition on the cricket field. The rise of Ravindra Jadeja in recent years has been nothing short of spectacular, and he has evolved into one of the best all-rounders India have produced in recent times.

Think about it. When it comes to complete all-rounders who can contribute not just effectively, but in abundance for their sides, there's not too many players in the world who can do that at the highest level. The list is rather short. Shakib Al Hasan and Ben Stokes are the only ones who generally stand out in that regard, and Ravindra Jadeja belongs in that esteemed and brief list as well.

Let's roll this back a couple of years, though. It was after India's semi-final loss against New Zealand when Sanjay Manjrekar termed Jadejs a "bits and pieces player." While Manjrekar might have had some notable points to support his claim, the comment didn't go down too well with the Royal Navghan.

It was almost as if the former Indian cricketer had poked the bear, giving the Saurashtra player another doubter to prove wrong. And he did. Since Manjrekar made that comment, Jadeja has been averaging 54 with the bat in all three formats for India. Considering that Jadeja has constantly batted in the lower-middle order for India, those numbers are quite significant.

It's almost like he flipped a switch, eh? Everyone knew Jadeja's capabilities with the bat. Three triple-centuries in first-class cricket is no mean feat. Not even some of the best batters in the game can hold that against their name. Jadeja does.

However, batting lower down the order for the Indian side meant that Jadeja wasn't able to produce even half of that output. The inability to bat with the tail was a hindrance to the all-rounder. So was clearing the fence when going for the big hit. These are things he has corrected over the years with experience. The results were brought to the fore in December last year, when India toured Australia.

The all-rounder scored 115 runs in the ODI series, averaging 57.50 with a strike rate of 17.35. In the only T20I game Jadeja played, he played a match-winning knock of 44 in just 23 deliveries before being rested for the remaining two games due to a concussion. Despite the injury in that series, Jaddu laid the marker for things to come.

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Ravindra Jadeja - India's finisher to take over Dhoni's mantle?

It was a day game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai when the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) played against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. Ravindra Jadeja walloped Harshal Patel (the Purple Cap winner of the IPL 2021) for 36 runs in the final over. At the non-striker's end was MS Dhoni - the batter who for a number of years instilled fear in the bowlers' minds.

Jadeja often lacked the ability to finish games with a flourish at the death but that has changed since last year. In a forgettable IPL 2020 season for CSK, Jadeja's contributions were a rare shining light.

In the 2020 season, Jadeja aggregated 232 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 171.85 - the third-highest after Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya (batters scoring a minimum of 120 runs). He also recorded his first-ever IPL fifty that year.

Come this season in the IPL, Jadeja showed that his ability to make big hits and finish strong was more than just a flash in the pan in. Sir Jadeja scored 227 runs at an average of 75.66 and a strike rate of 145.51. Not to forget his 13 wickets with the ball at an economy rate of just above 7, and the numerous runs he saved in the field.

Jadeja has proven that he is now an invaluable asset, one that any team would love to have in their arsenal. With his recent striking power, he is now a complete T20 player.

In the last couple of years, Jadeja has been much more than an all-rounder who can chip in with bat or ball. Since 2020, Jadeja has an average of 55.71 and a strike rate of 207.44 with the bat in the death overs in all T20s.

With the phenomal numbers Jadeja has been delivering in recent times, India should trust his abilities as a finisher. Even if the Indian management opts to go with Hardik Pandya as a designated finisher to bat at number five, with the likes of Pant, Hardik and Jadeja, the Indian team can afford to have enough depth in their batting.

MS Dhoni has closely witnessed Jadeja's rise as a batter since he was the captain of CSK. Perhaps the former Indian captain has even had a part to play behind the scenes in the success of Jadeja's excellence in the role, and helped the all-rounder take up his mantle all along?

MS Dhoni won't be witnessing Jadeja's supreme skills from behind his stumps or from the non-striker's end like he has over the years. But the former Indian captain will be in the dugout as Team India's mentor throughout the T20 World Cup while Jadeja instills the same fear he did in bowlers' minds.