Tom Moody and Irfan Pathan have warned the Indian selectors that they cannot and should not count on Ravindra Jadeja as the number 7 batsman.
Ravindra Jadeja, who currently plays for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024, has not had a very good season so far, especially with the bat. Jadeja, the left-arm bowler, has performed decently but the same cannot be said about his batting for the reigning champions.
Ravindra Jadeja has not only been too slow with his batting approach but has also been quite unreliable and a bit irresponsible.
CSK’s hero in the 2023 IPL final against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium remained relatively calm. His performances caught the attention of Indian fans, who will see him play for Team India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
What did Tom Moody say about Ravindra Jadeja?
While speaking to Star Sports in the run-up to the T20 World Cup at the end of June, Tom Moody had some telling things to say about Ravindra Jadeja. Moody started by appreciating Jadeja and labeling him as the best left-arm spinner in India at the moment.
Tom Moody further stated that if he were the Indian coach, he would have included Ravindra Jadeja solely for his 4 left-arm spin overs. But as far as batting is concerned, the former Australia batsman stated that he would not like Jadeja to feature as the number 7 batsman.
Highlighting Ravindra Jadeja’s performances in IPL 2024, Moody admitted that Jadeja is not good enough to come in as a fifth batsman for India. The 2016 IPL winning head coach with SRH finally stated that India will need someone like Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh, batsmen who are capable of making an instant impact.
“I would pick Jadeja simply because I am looking for the best left-arm spinner option. He is the best left-arm spinner in the country. In my eleven, he is not batting at number 7.”
“I don’t think he is good enough to bat seven in a World Cup team. He has shown that with his strike rate. You need an impact player who bats seven.” – Tom Moody said via Star Sports.
Jadeja’s disappointing all-round performance in IPL 2024
So far in IPL 2024 (out of 9 matches), Ravindra Jadeja’s performances have been extremely average, both with the bat and the ball.
Jadeja may have an average of 78.50, but his strike rate of 131.93 mostly from the top order has been quite questionable. In total, he has scored 157 runs with just a half-century to his name.
With the ball, Jaddu has recorded just 5 wickets at a decent economy rate of 7.55 with a best of 3/18 and conceding 234 runs along the way.
Irfan Pathan also questions Jadeja about his strike rate
Irfan Pathan, who was man of the match during the 2007 T20 World Cup final in Johannesburg, also criticized Ravindra Jadeja for his scoring rate.
Pathan stated that while India’s top-order looks pretty good, the finisher’s role should be given to someone other than Jadeja as his strike rate at the international level has not been that good.
“My concern is that with the T20 World Cup, we are practically ranked as far as top-order batting is concerned. We are also practically ranked in the middle order. If we think Ravindra Jadeja is a number seven batsman, then he needs a good finisher. His numbers aren’t that good as far as hit rate goes.” – Irfan Pathan told Star Sports.