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Former India cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar took a dig at Ravindra Jadeja for his below-par performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Manjrekar said that the other two spinners in the team, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, can offer more than ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
India successfully registered their name in the top four of the current season and will play the second semifinal against England on Thursday, June 27 (IST). In the 2024 edition, Jadeja’s performance failed to meet expectations and he bowled just one over in India’s Super 8 clash against Australia.
Kuldeep and Axar have more to offer than Jadeja: Manjrekar
In the game, he conceded 17 runs without any success. In the season, the spinner has 16 runs from 11 balls in three innings in six matches. With the ball, he picked one wicket in 10 overs conceding 78 runs with an economy of 7.80. Manjrekar launched a verbal attack on Jadeja and said that the other two spinners could contribute more than him. Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar said, "I think compared to Axar and Kuldeep Yadav, maybe Jadeja is a little limited in comparison.”
He added, “Axar Patel has those little subtleties, change of angle, pace, and what he does. Jadeja is a very disciplined, accurate bowler who will feed off a good pitch, and if a batter makes a mistake, he gets you out. Kuldeep Yadav and Akshar Patel have more to offer than Ravindra Jadeja.” Notably, Patel has five wickets in 14 overs with an economy of 7.21.
I’m not concerned as long as India are finding different heroes: Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar said that he is not too worried about Virat Kohli’s form in the T20 World Cup 2024 as the team has managed to find different heroes in every match at the event. The 58-year-old was quoted by Sportskeeda as saying, "I am not concerned as long as India are finding different heroes. Today, we found Rohit Sharma. I like how Shivam Dube is also chipping in. I know towards the end his innings lost a bit of steam, but I like the fact that he was trying to play with soft hands against Josh Hazlewood. So, I see growth in all the other players and that's what you want in a team."
"Selfless is the greatest quality that he has as a leader. As batter, big name player, and there's always spotlight and expectation, and he's not worried about that, even when he wasn't getting the big scores. He's not out there to get a big score; he's just out there to make sure he gives the right amount of momentum to that Indian innings."
