Star spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who played a vital role in India’s impressive six wicket win over Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 match, feels that the experienced Steve Smith’s wicket, was the turning point of the game in Chennai.
Bowling first, pacer Jasprit Bumrah gave India an early breakthrough by removing Mitchell Marsh but David Warner and Steve Smith led Australia’s fightback before Jadeja turned the match with three crucial wickets.
The 34-year old Jadeja ran through the Australia middle-order as the visitors slumped from 110/2 to 119/5 in the space of 16 balls. He bowled Steve Smith with an unplayable delivery that almost turned square to beat the defence, then quickly followed it up with the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey in the next over.
“I think that was the turning point. Since then, when you got a wicket like Steve Smith, it wasn’t easy to just go in and rotate the strike for a new batsman. The wicket was turning. I think it was points. Since then, I was 110/3 with 199 points,” Jadeja said in the post-match press conference.
The left-arm spinner also highlighted the different variations he used on the Chennai pitch to support the spinners.
“That was my plan. I bowled towards the stumps and luckily the ball went a little further towards Smith.” My plan was simple. I thought this was the bowling wicket for a test match. Everything happens inside the turnstiles, so you shouldn’t experiment too much. So I tried bowling from stump to stump,” he said.
Jadeja also revealed that Chennai’s MA Chidambaram his stadium did not help the spinners as much as he initially expected.
“When I started the first round, the ball fell a little slow and stopped. I thought it was afternoon and it was hot and the gate was dry. I thought the stump line would be better. From here I would spin. “It won’t be easy for batters to line up because some balls will go straight and others will go straight,” he said.
Jadeja-led India defeated Australia for 199 followed by Virat Kohli and KL Rahul who combined for 165 runs and secured victory for the team with the fourth wicket.
Rohit Sharma-led India will take on Afghanistan in a World Cup match in Delhi on Wednesday before a big clash against Pakistan in Ahmedabad on October 14.