Siddharth Monga
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What does India’s resounding victory mean for the rest of the world?
Coach Finch says his team needs to give 100% if they want to beat India in the semi-finals.
Just a day before the match, India coach Rahul Dravid was a vocal supporter of Ravindra Jadeja’s role in the team. Jadeja had taken nine wickets at the time Dravid talked about him. Taking multiple wickets per match is a good return, but India’s attack was so good that even Dravid felt that Jadeja’s contribution went unnoticed. Even as Jadeja’s performance against Bangladesh in Pune was about to be noticed, Virat Kohli’s late dash for a century meant he was the player of the match.
A day after Dravid’s comments, Jadeja became the fifth bowler to score five fours in this World Cup. Now it’s impossible not to notice him. However, as Dravid said, wickets are not the only metric that matters in the team.
“If you look at the numbers, you look at the stats, you look at the data, he has been exceptional in this tournament,” Dravid said of Jadeja. “The performances of people like Jadu and Kuldeep were amazing because our seamstresses were so good and it was so great to see them in front of us.” [Yadav] Probably a little unnoticed.
“But his ability, and I think he even had to bowl with a slightly wet ball at times because the ball was a little bit wet… just the kind of control he gave us in the middle was sensational. .And just the areas he bowled, yeah, all the metrics point to him being ahead of everyone else in this tournament just in terms of the areas he bowled and the speed of his bowling. think.
“In our bowlers’ meetings with him, there’s a lot of fun conversation across the group, and in such a relaxed environment, he’s very clear about what he wants to do and what he wants to achieve. You just have that confidence when you see them.” It’s great to do that consistently and over and over again.
“Then with the bat, again, it’s not easy for a guy like him. You get seven at-bats, you don’t play three or four, and then you have to come back in and play some pretty important innings every time. “That’s the difficult part. For players batting at No. 6 and No. 7, you know when you’re in the top three you’re going to have an opportunity to play in every game. No. 6. “Sometimes when you’re No. 7 or No. 7, you don’t really know when you’re going to get a hit. “You’re going to get a chance. Or you might not even get a hit, like in the first two or three games. I just came in and played a decisive knock.”
“And his fielding is unbelievable. You can have a guy like him at the point and take away some of the catches that he has. It’s a very nice all-around package for us and really He is a player who has had a great tournament.” [but] It may be a little less noticeable. ”
It no longer attracts attention. Jadeja is happy with his bowling rhythm and ability to chip in with the bat. He was asked how luxurious it would be if a player like him were captain.
“I’m so happy [to have myself]”And you told me to think like a captain?” said Jadeja. He was thinking about being captain from the first game, but it’s different that he wasn’t able to be captain.
After the laughter died down, Jadeja said: “My role as an all-rounder is to make an impact in tough situations, when you need an important 30-40 run, or when a partnership is going on and you need a wicket. I try to perform and be there whenever the team needs me.
“And fielding doesn’t come naturally to me. I still feel like I can play catch. I’m always ready on the field. I never let my guard down. That’s it. I’m the best. I keep trying to do my best. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail.” But I always keep trying. ”
Jadeja said India are looking to challenge themselves but his performance under lights will satisfy him even more. He said that the pitch in the afternoon was much more difficult, not only because it had a turn, but also because its slow nature made shot-making very difficult, adding that in the evening the pitch was faster. “It was almost like I was challenging myself,” Jadeja said. “There might have been some dew late at night. If you find yourself in a situation like that in the final, you should know how to deal with it.”
Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo