IPL 2018 | Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers’ wicket gave us momentum, says Ravindra Jadeja

IPL 2018 | Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers’ wicket gave us momentum, says Ravindra Jadeja

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Ravindra Jadeja, who was awarded Man of the Match in the match against RCB, pointed out that Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers' wickets in the successive overs gave CSK the momentum to win the game. Jadeja insisted that unity in CSK’s culture led by MS Dhoni has been the main reason for their success.

Chennai’s six wicket win against RCB on Saturday in Pune was mainly constructed by the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh. Both bowlers took a combined 5 wickets and while allowing just 40 runs, which helped CSK halt the RCB innings for just 127/9. After having scored just 127 runs, the result looked certain in the favor of CSK, which they successfully chased with 2 overs to go.  

The highlight of the match was Jadeja, who took 3 wickets, including the all important wicket of Virat Kohli, for 18 runs. The RCB skipper's wicket served as a big blow to the visitors, from which they could never recover. However, what caught the eye was the celebration or rather no celebration from Jadeja, after taking the wicket of Kohli. Jadeja was expressionless and had a subdued reaction to the wicket. After the match, Jadeja explained that since it was his first ball, he wasn’t expecting a wicket and it happened too quickly for him to react.

“Actually that was the first ball. The first time I saw Virat on strike I thought, ‘Okay it’s a right-hand batsman on strike so I’ll bowl normally’, because the pitch was looking dry. I tried to land it on a good spot, and I didn’t think I’ll get a wicket off the very first ball. Because generally, good batsmen tend to play watchfully off the first ball and assess what is happening off the pitch, how much the ball is turning and at what pace it’s coming," said Jadeja, in the post-match interview.

“So that’s what it was. But I’m very happy I got a wicket off my first ball, and Virat’s wicket is always special.”

Jadeja always has been someone who has rushed through his overs. Joking about the speed at which he bowls his overs, he said, “Like I said, it was the first ball so I didn’t get that much time. Because I tend to get through my overs also very quickly. And off the very first ball I got it… and too it wasn’t a catch where the ball flew in the air and I had time to think. Bowled off the first ball, there is no time, so what celebration will I do!”

After losing Kohli, Bangalore lost AB de Villiers in the next over to Harbhajan Singh, which gave CSK an upper hand in the match. CSK capitalized on the advantage and made sure that RCB scored a below par total.  

“When we saw the pitch in the afternoon it was looking dry. The good option was to bowl with variations, because giving too much pace wouldn’t have worked well,” explained Jadeja. “So that’s what Bhajju pa and I were trying. But I think Virat’s wicket was crucial, as was AB’s. Because everyone knows that even if three-four wickets go down, AB doesn’t change his game. He keeps making runs. That’s why AB’s wicket was also crucial. That was the game changer, because our momentum was built after that and they couldn’t get any partnerships too.”

Parthiv Patel, who ended up as the top-scorer for RCB with 53 off 41 balls, felt that 150-160 would have been a good score on the wicket. He pointed out that the wicket was not easy to bat on and batsmen were not able to free their hands easily on the wicket. He insisted that the team has the potential to get to a competitive total, without the help of their main duo, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.   

“Yes of course, it makes a difference when the world’s top two batsmen get out in two overs. But having said that, we have the quality in our side that we could have got to 150-160 even on that wicket. The pitch wasn’t that easy to bat on. We thought 150-160 would be a good score after playing the first three-four overs. The spinners’ deliveries weren’t turning as much as gripping on the surface. So shot-making wasn’t as easy,” Patel explained.

Having won seven games out the ten matches they have played so far, CSK have almost confirmed their ticket to the knockouts. Jadeja insisted that the players don’t point fingers at each other after the losses and credited their success to the unity in the culture of the team.

“Whether we win or even if we lose, our goal remains the same: that we shouldn’t blame one another,” he explained. “If we win we’ll take it like a team, and if we lose also we’ll take it like a team. That is our mantra. We don’t point fingers at someone else. That keeps our team united. Mahi bhai always says, ‘We’ll win together and we’ll lose together’. If your leader gives you that confidence that even if we lose we’ll stay together, that is really nice.”

After a much needed break, CSK will be facing Rajasthan Royals on May 11 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. 

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