Ravindra Jadeja's fielding prowess was in display as Chennai Super Kings outplayed five-time champions Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets in an IPL 2023 match at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. CSK's star all-rounder Jadeja bagged the Player of the Match award. After sending MI to bat first, CSK restricted their rivals to 157 for 8 in 20 overs. Jadeja dismissed Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green and Tilak Varma. While Kishan's catch was taken by Dwaine Pretorius and Varma was cleaned up, the dismissal of Green was particularly special as Jadeja took an improbable catch off his own bowling as Green hit a hard shot towards him.
At one point in time, it looked like Jadeja was just trying to save himself. Even the on-field umpire, stooped down to the ground in a bid to protect himself.
While speaking after the game, Jadeja revealed what makes him a better fielder.
"Whenever I field, I try to anticipate where the ball would go depending on the bowler's line and length. I feel I have one or two seconds more than other fielders," said the all-rounder while speaking to Ajinkya Rahane in a video uploaded by IPL.
Listen from 54th second -
"When we were bowling, the odd ball was turning. So me and Mitch wanted to bowl in good areas because they have so many powerhitters. Everytime we come here, the wicket plays different - sometimes it is flat, sometimes it is sticky. (On partnership with Santner) We surely discuss, whoever starts advises the other person on what lengths to bowl. We keep talking and advising each other," said Jadeja after the game.
(With PTI Inputs)