Ravindra Jadeja was gifted a memento with a sword mounted on it by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a gift the all-rounder is thankful for. Head coach Stephen Fleming presented Jadeja with the gift in the presence of CSK captain MS Dhoni. Jadeja's name along with “The Rajput Boy” was inscribed on the memento followed by Jadeja's IPL achievements: “Only Indian player to get 100+ wickets and 1900+ runs in IPL. Most wickets by any left-arm spinner in IPL – 108 wickets.”
“Thank you to the @chennaiipl team for bestowing me with this award. Playing for this amazing franchise is an honor and an opportunity I cherish. Looking forward to the season,” wrote Jadeja on Twitter as he tweeted pictures with Fleming and Dhoni as well as a video capturing the features of his gift.
Jadeja is a key member of the CSK camp, useful to the team as a lower-order hitter and key spin bowler. In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, who pulled out of IPL 2020 for personal reasons, Jadeja could be the lead spinner in the XI.
CSK had a delayed start to their preparations for IPL 2020 after a spate of COVID-19 positive cases in their camp as two players along with a number of support staff tested positive.
Deepak Chahar, one of the players who had tested positive, has returned two negative tests subsequently and has re-joined the squad.
However, Ruturaj Gaikwad, the other player to test positive, is still in isolation as CSK await a clearance from Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for Gaikwad to join the team's bio-bubble.
CSK play their first game on September 19 against Mumbai Indians.