India vs Pakistan Asia Cup T20: Five talking points

#2 Impressive Indian fielding led by Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja has now comfortably established himself as India’s No. 1 fielder

Ravindra Jadeja, especially since his comeback for India during the South Africa series last year, has been an absolute superstar.

Reminiscent of those days when a young Yuvraj Singh and his partner-in-crime Mohammad Kaif used to field like live wires for India, Jadeja not only saved boundaries and stopped extra runs, he also punished the batsmen who tried to take those extra runs.

He first came into the picture in the third over of the match, when a fiercely driven ball from Khurram Manzoor’s bat was saved from crossing the ropes by a diving Jadeja who was chasing the ball from covers.

If a run was saved there, the Saurashtra all-rounder made sure that another one wasn’t stolen, when he ran Shahid Afridi out with a perfect throw from deep mid-wicket.

Afridi pushed the ball through the vacant midwicket area on the leg side and took on the arm of India’s best fielder. The Pakistani captain, who didn’t look warmed up for the game, at least by the way he ran, was made to pay by the Indian.

Even though the veteran had put in a full-length dive to reach the crease, his wicket was already taken before he had even started diving.

The throw was straight over the stumps, and perhaps the best wicket-keeper when it comes to stumpings and run-outs in recent times, did the rest.

Pakistan were already tottering by then at 42/6, but Jadeja hadn't bowled yet, which also meant that he wasn't done yet.

He trapped Wahab Riaz leg-before-wicket first, and when Sarfaraz Ahmed looked like taking Pakistan to a total of some respectability, he cleaned up the batsman with a round-arm straighter one.

Jadeja has become as good a lynchpin of this Indian line-up as a Virat Kohli or a Rohit Sharma.

Apart from Jadeja, Kohli, Bumrah and Yuvraj were all seen throwing themselves around the field, thereby saving crucial runs in what turned out to be a low-scoring affair.