Ravindra Jadeja, an established hero for Chennai Super Kings, once again turned into a match-winner as the franchise secured a 7-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Monday. Jadeja, speaking to Harsha Bhogle in the post-match presentation ceremony, made his expectation of getting his title (like Thala and Chinna Thala for MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina respectively) clear. His conversation with Bhogle continued on social media, with the famous commentator branding him 'Thalapathy'. Not long after Jadeja thanked Harsha for the title, even the Chennai Super Kings made it official.
''My title hasn't yet been verified, hopefully they'll give me one,'' Jadeja, in a jovial mood, said in the post-match presentation ceremony. ''I always enjoy my bowling on this track. I was hoping the ball grips a little and if you bowl in the right areas it helps you. For visiting teams, it takes time to settle in and plan."
Harsha Bhogle then took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: "I don't think there is another ground in India where the crowd almost becomes part of the post-match presentation. I love doing it here. So @ChennaiIPL are you going to give Jadeja the 'verification' for "Cricket Thalapathi"?"
Jadeja responded to Harsha's post, saying "Thanks a lot".
Later, CSK gave their stamp of approval to Jadeja's title. On X, the 5-time champions wrote: "Verified as Cricket Thalapathy".
CSK, with their third win in five matches this season, are placed 4th on the points table. All three of Chenani's wins have come at their home, Chepauk, while both away games have resulted in defeats for them.
Jadeja took three important wickets against the Knight Riders to be named the player of the match. The all-rounder would hope to not just continue his excellent bowling form but also improve his numbers with the bat in the coming games.