Asia Cup 2022: “[Ravindra] Jadeja becoming more of a batting all-rounder”- Sanjay Manjrekar after viral interview

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar praised Ravindra Jadeja for his vital knock against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday (August 28). He feels that the Saurashtra all-rounder has raised his batting skills, which is a good sign for India in the build-up to the T20 World Cup.

Speaking to Sports 18 show Sports Over the Top, Manjrekar said:

“There was long-term clue or a thought that could come in, is that now slowly in white ball cricket, Jadeja could now be looked at as a batting all-rounder.

“He bowled two overs, but if he’s going to take important positions in the batting order and make the kind of contribution that he did against Pakistan then, wow! He fits in perfectly.”

He added:

“You’ve got Hardik Pandya as the extra bowler, then Jadeja can be your push-in if one of the seamers don’t bowl well. So going up the order and him also delivering are great signs for India where there we are seeing slowly a transition of Jadeja becoming more of a batting all-rounder in white ball cricket.”

For those who don’t know, the left-handed batter became the joint top-scorer for India with Virat Kohli (35 runs) against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium as the Men in Blue won the match by five wickets.

“Very good move and I loved it”- Manjrekar happy with Jadeja’s promotion in the batting order

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Indian team management made the right move by promoting Jadeja in the batting order against Pakistan. He felt that the gamble paid off very well. He said:

“Very good move and I loved it. And I don’t think it was a gamble. It wasn’t a wild card because Pakistan were bowling two spinners, one leg spinner and a left-arm spinner, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab.”

The southpaw scored 34 runs off 29 balls, including a couple of sixes and fours. He also shared a crucial 52-run partnership with Hardik Pandya for the fifth wicket and laid the foundation for India’s victory.

Jadeja's batting abilities have gone from strength to strength across formats. He has been consistent in ODIs with 2447 runs in 171 matches, including 13 half-centuries.

Earlier this year, he also showcased his batting abilities in Tests by scoring an unbeaten 175 runs against Sri Lanka.