Rockstar Ravindra Jadeja Rescues Again, in Purple

Ravindra Jadeja is a match-winner in blue, white, yellow, and purple. Unlike other stars, though, Ravindra Jadeja hardly gets his due. For a player who can be a fearsome finisher and has even hit 37 runs in an over, Jadeja is not considered a six-hitter. For someone who is not seen as a wicket-taking option, Ravindra Jadeja is among IPL's leading wicket-takers and has a handful of match-winning 3-fors.

The match-winner in him is often seen when the team is in dire situations. Many times for Yellow it has happened where he'd come and bail CSK out with the bat in sluggish conditions and then rip through the middle-order with a pressure-building spell. It was one of those days again but in a different color.

7 games into the season, Ravindra Jadeja had 2 good bowling performances and once scored 45 in a game that was gone before he walked in. The top-order doing the heavy-lifting with the bat and the pace-attack with the ball has given Jadeja very little to do. 

Against Lucknow, though, the situation was right for Jadeja to play in a manner he has grown playing. 62-4 for when he walked in and ran, not coming on a pitch that had some spice for the bowlers. Eleven overs to go, and the goal changed to getting something respectable on the board. With time needed, Jadeja dished out a knock in the template he followed so many times in Test Cricket and also for India and CSK when the going got tough.

He ran hard, focused on the two's, and the criticism did get in its way. 23 balls for his 23, Jadeja was crawling according to the strike rate. In reality, though an assessment was made, the rockstar was using his strength of running hard to keep the scoreboard moving silently. The burst came in the Final over. His first boundary of the innings came in the first ball of the last over, and Jadeja did not look back. He marshalled the team with 22 runs in the final over to get them to `159.

159, though in today's game, is far from a winning score by the looks of it. In a season where 200 has been chased for fun, 159 is definitely an outlier. Jadeja, though, gave the side something to bowl at rather than going for it early and ending with a score far lower. His contribution, though, was not done. With the ball, Jadeja took charge in the 8th over. The stage was set with Nandre Burger and Jofra Archer breaking the back of Lucknow in the powerplay, leaving them reeling at 3 down for 40 runs. 

From there, it was Jadeja in his elements, bowling his consistent line and length to put pressure on the batter. The pressure paid its dividends as well, with Jadeja getting Nicholas Pooran to strangle Lucknow further. 1 wicket and 29 runs conceded, Jadeja had it with the ball and also contributed with the bat in a vintage manner. He played a knock and bowled a spell which was common in his days at the Chepauk and now continues to show shades of vintage Jaddu in Purple as well.