“Even 2 people who were fighting earlier are exchanging hugs” - Ajay Jadeja hails LSG’s team spirit ahead of IPL 2022 clash vs GT

Ajay Jadeja has praised the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for displaying amazing team spirit and backing each other through tough times in IPL 2022. The former Indian batter referred to the famous hug between Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya, who have had issues in the past, to drive home his point.

LSG are currently atop the standings with 16 points from 11 matches. They have won their last four games in a row. Gujarat also have the same number of points but are second in the IPL points table by virtue of having an inferior net run rate. They have tasted defeat in their last two games.

The two top IPL teams will clash in the 57th match of IPL 2022 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune on Tuesday, 10 May. Comparing the two sides, Jadeja described Lucknow as a better overall unit while pointing out that Gujarat depend more on individual brilliance. Speaking on Cricbuzz, he opined:

“Lucknow is doing better as a unit. There are a lot of jigsaw puzzles. Gujarat also have them, but they have individual stars who are coming up with brilliant performances. LSG are moving ahead with contributions from everyone, helping each other out. Even two people who were fighting earlier are exchanging hugs. Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda are not Rashid Khan or Hardik Pandya. But their players are consistently performing well.”

In their last match, LSG thumped the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 75 runs. They posted 176 for seven while batting first and then rolled over KKR for just 101.

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“They lost the only match in which they played as a unit” - Jadeja reflects on GT’s loss to MI ahead of LSG clash

Sharing an interesting perspective on Gujarat’s loss to the Mumbai Indians (MI), Jadeja said that Hardik Pandya’s men lost the only game in which they played as a unit, without spectacular individual performances from anyone. He explained:

“There are two ways to look at Gujarat’s loss to Mumbai. The positive side is they should have won that game, it was just a fine margin. On the other hand, the fact is that they lost the only match in which they played as a unit. In previous wins, someone or the other came up with a spectacular performance to pull them through. Against MI, they looked solid from the start but the match slipped at the very end.”

Chasing 178 for victory, Gujarat seemed in command at 158 for four after 18 overs. Despite having wickets in hand, they failed to find the boundaries and eventually lost the contest by five runs.