In a heartwarming moment, Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja dedicated his ‘Man of the Match’ award against Lucknow Super Giants to his wife, Rivaba. Jadeja produced a vintage all-round performance to help RR return to winning ways after back-to-back defeats. He top-scored with an unbeaten 43 to rescue the Royals after they were reeling at 77/5 at one stage. During LSG’s chase, he then broke a dangerous partnership between Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran by dismissing the latter for 22.
After claiming his first IPL ‘Player of the Match’ award in two years, Jadeja dedicated the honour to Rivaba, recalling her wife’s uncanny prediction on the eve of the game that he would be the one to turn the tide for his team.
“Feeling good, winning Man of the match. I want to dedicate the award to the education minister of Gujarat [which is his wife]. She said yesterday that I will do well and I did. Wicket was not easy to bat because the ball was seaming and swinging. I wanted to play long as much as I can. In T20 cricket, you never know last over you can cash in and we did,” Jadeja said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Jadeja’s unbeaten 49-run stand with impact player Shubham Dubey, who made 19 not out off 11 balls, gave RR bowlers a fighting chance in the match, after LSG’s pace trio Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, and Prince Yadav took two scalps each.
Defending 159, the lowest score defended in this season, RR’s bowlers were right on the money from the word go, and backed by some superb fielding, they consigned LSG to their fourth consecutive loss of the competition.
Archer found support in Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma, who picked two scalps each, while Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi had one wicket each as LSG were bowled out for just 119 in 18 overs, as RR have now moved to second place in the points table.
Ravindra Jadeja, who won the Player of the Match award, said: “(on batting in tough situations) Yeah, wicket was not that easy because ball was seaming and swinging. So I thought, let me play longer as much as I can. And that is what I was talking to Donovan and whoever coming next to batting. So I was just talking to him that we’ll play longer because in T20 cricket, you never know. Last over, as we like, we cashed in, like we got 20-odd runs in last over. So that is what the thinking behind.”
“(on targetting Mayank in the last over) Yeah, I think coming from injury, it’s not that easy bowling with that pace. But I was just backing my strength and I was talking to my partner that let’s back each other and let’s play good cricket shot. Because as I said, on this wicket, ball was seaming a lot and bounce was there. So it’s not that easy that you can play any shot at any given time. (on the hands in pocket celebration after getting Pooran) Yeah he is in my pocket. Nothing, just randomly thought came into my mind and I did it.”
“(on bowling slower today) No, because ball was gripping a little bit. So I was just thinking that should I bowl quicker on this wicket or should I bowl slow? So I thought, okay, I bowl a few slow balls. And then I realized that yeah, if I bowl slow, then I might get a little bit hold from the wicket. So that is what I was looking to do. (on bowling different paces to Marsh) Because that side was on the mid-wicket side, long-on side a little bit shorter compared to other sides. So I knew that he might play that shot at some stage. So I was just bowling and mixing up with my pace, slow, wide and full ball also. (if he became Wasim Akram today) No, no, no, no. Today I was looked to bowl slow,” Ravindra Jadeja concluded.
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