ICC World Cup 2019 | Ravindra Jadeja has proved me wrong on all fronts, admits Sanjay Manjrekar

Although his commentary had received criticism increasingly during the World Cup league phase, all hell broke loose when Manjrekar called Jadeja a ‘bits and pieces’ player, ahead of the India-Bangladesh clash. The former Indian batsman was firmly against Team India including the all-rounder in the playing XI ahead of a specialist batsman or bowler.

Jadeja took to Twitter to fire back immediately. He called for some respect for a player who has played twice the number games for India than his critic. However, he did not stop there. Jadeja was picked for the match against Sri Lanka, and the semi-final against New Zealand. He picked up one wicket as India hammered their Asian neighbours. Manjrekar said that the conditions were ideal for Jadeja. 

When the lineups for the semi-finals were announced, the commentator was puzzled at the team going with Jadeja again, ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. However, Jadeja went onto deliver, perhaps, his greatest ODI performance in the Indian blue. He had figures of 1/34 from his 10 overs to go with a brilliant direct hit run out from the deep to dismiss Ross Taylor, and a fine catch to get rid of Tom Latham the very next ball. Walking in at 92/6, together with MS Dhoni, Jadeja nearly pulled off a breathtaking win for the Indians. His valiant effort of a 59-ball 77 wasn’t enough to get India through to the finals, but it won the heart of his critic, Manjrekar.

“By bits and pieces, he has completely ripped me apart today. By sheer brilliance, he has proved me wrong on all fronts. But this is not the Ravindra Jadeja we have seen very often. In the last 40 innings, his highest score has been around 33," Manjrekar said after the match, reported TOI.

“Today, he was brilliant. Economical with the ball and the familiar celebration that you see more in Test matches with him,” Manjrekar added.