This is Ravindra Jadeja's world, we are just living in it

In a world where there are twists and turns at every turn, what would one do if there exists an individual who seems to have the all answers to what mere mortals seek? What if that particular person also seems to have the solution to every muddle, irrespective of the walk of life it is in?

Moreover, what would be the reaction when knowing that one particular individual is simply perfect and that there aren’t any flaws to dissect? Seems pretty frustrating for everyone involved, apart from that person resembling perfection, doesn’t it?

In cricketing terminology, that is what most cricketers not named Ravindra Jadeja might feel. Not just because the all-rounder has developed a knack of making things happen, but also because there is very little that he has done wrong lately.

If this IPL season were to be taken in isolation, Jadeja has perhaps been the most valuable cricketer, despite what other MVP indexes might suggest. He has been a tidy operator in the middle phases and has been exceptional with the willow whenever called upon.

In the first half itself, Jadeja had developed a reputation for single-handedly winning matches for the Chennai Super Kings. He did so at the Wankhede Stadium and against the Royal Challengers Bangalore – a game in which he tore Harshal Patel to shreds before bamboozling AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell.

Harshal hasn’t appeared the same bowler since and though there has been a massive break in between, de Villiers and Maxwell have also not been able to scale the heights they did prior to that confrontation.

If one were to delve a little deeper, they might point towards the heroics Jadeja has produced, especially against the Kolkata Knight Riders over the past few seasons.

In 2018, at Chennai, Jadeja masterminded an extraordinary run-chase and finished things with a flourish that has become synonymous now, whereas in 2020, he repeated the dose at the Dubai International Stadium.

The 2021 version, however, is probably the crescendo of the upward trajectory Jadeja has traversed since 2020. Not just because it was the purest version of all that Jadeja can offer but also because he has developed a habit of withstanding adverse pressure – a trait that plenty felt pulled him down at the start of his career.

Against KKR at Abu Dhabi, CSK found themselves in strife a couple of times. With the ball, they had seen the KKR top order blaze away to 50/2 in the Power Play and looked destined to post a score in excess of 180. Jadeja, though, had different ideas.

He began bowling in the 7th overs and as has often been the case on sluggish surfaces, bowled through his quota. His impeccable line and length, which has, at times, been his greatest weakness, also morphed into a strength as he tied down the likes of Eoin Morgan and Rahul Tripathi.

Eventually, Jadeja got the better of Tripathi too when the former read the batter’s mind and pre-empted his reverse sweep. The KKR batter could only swish at thin air before witnessing the ball crash into off stump.

Thus, through the course of the spell, Jadeja had pegged KKR back and had it not been for Dinesh Karthik’s special knock, CSK might well have been chasing a below-par total.

With the willow, though, Jadeja took his performance up a notch and reached levels many thought he was not capable of but something that has become an undeniable reality nowadays.

Having seen Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina depart in quick succession, the pressure was firmly on Jadeja to deliver. Not only did he have to arrest CSK’s slide, he also had to ensure that they didn’t fall behind the required run-rate, which considering the presence of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, would’ve been the cardinal sin.

Immediately, Jadeja set the tempo of the game. He hustled across for a couple of quick singles and signaled to KKR that he intended to make a fist of what had become a tricky run-chase. And, then, when Prasidh Krishna entered the fray in the 19th over, Jadeja was all over him like a rash and produced a hitting display that would’ve made Dhoni proud.

For years, Jadeja has talked about the impact the former Indian wicket-keeper has had on his batting. Now, though, there are signs that he has firmly taken over the mantle. That, coupled with his ability to withstand pressure, just like Dhoni, has meant that CSK have always been in the game, even when the inclination might be to write them off.

Ravindra Jadeja produced an assault for the ages

As for the assault against Prasidh, there were several awe-inducing moments. On the third ball of the over, the pacer dropped the ball short. Had Jadeja been pre-meditating, he might’ve gotten into a different position and not capitalized. Yet, there Jadeja was, waiting for the delivery to be butchered into the stands.

A ball later, Prasidh ventured into Jadeja’s hitting arc and was disdainfully dispatched over the long on fence. Post that, KKR hatched a plan to bowl wide at Jadeja and take the leg-side out of the equation.

During the late 2010s, that approach might have worked a charm too. In 2021, though, Jadeja seems to have an answer for every possible question that a bowler can pose.

He laid back in his crease and carved Prasidh for a brace of boundaries over/past backward point. And, while Jadeja did perish in the final over, with CSK only needing 1 run off 2 balls, he had done his job.

Knowing Jadeja, however, one feels he would be livid at having left the door ajar for KKR. Moreover, with the kind of finisher he has become and the kind of games he has finished recently, this simply didn’t meet the lofty standards he has set for himself. That, though, doesn’t take anything away from the breathtaking assault that preceded it.

There is quite a lot of evidence to suggest that Jadeja - the batter needs to be utilized better by India. So far, there has been a tendency on the Men In Blue’s part to deploy the all-rounder at No.7 – a spot he regularly bats at for CSK but one that also doesn’t give him a lot of balls to face.

Since the 2020 edition of the IPL, though, Jadeja has produced some mind-boggling numbers – numbers that should prompt India to make the most of his astronomical abilities.

In the aforementioned period, Jadeja has the tenth best strike-rate for all batters to have faced at least a solitary ball at the death. When talking about batters to have scored more than 200 runs in that particular phase, Jadeja has the second highest strike-rate, only behind a certain AB de Villiers.

Additionally, de Villiers and Jadeja are the only batters to have scored more than 300 runs (312 and 304, respectively) at the death while batting at a strike rate in excess of 200. In short, it suggests that Jadeja should be batting at the death every time India take the field, irrespective of whoever they have in the shed at that juncture.

The third dimension of cricket, namely the fielding, is an area where Jadeja’s brilliance is unparalleled. And, for all the chatter around three-dimensional cricketers and World Cup squads, it has become quite obvious that Jadeja is the ready-made solution to that quandary too.

Not only can he bat, bowl and field, he can also win matches while batting, bowling or fielding. If these parameters are used and a globe-trotting missing is embarked on, not many cricketers not named Ravindra Jadeja would be found. In fact, there are hardly any.

And, that is perhaps what makes Jadeja so special. He seems to be meandering along, keeping things tight, running around the field until he suddenly flicks a switch and takes the game completely away from the opposition.

Remember, this isn’t a very ubiquitous quality and when that is armed with the kind of consistency Jadeja has displayed, the result points to a nigh-on perfect cricketer.

Maybe then, it is fair to say that this is Ravindra Jadeja’s world and that we are just living in it. Again, that is an accolade mere mortals seek, only for it to be proved futile. For Jadeja, well, it’s probably just another day at the office.