"We haven't seen Ravindra Jadeja's premier avatar even once in this entire tournament" - Aakash Chopra on India's bowling vs Bangladesh

Aakash Chopra has noted that Ravindra Jadeja has dished out below-par performances with the ball in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The left-arm spinner registered figures of 0/24 in three overs in India's Super 8 win against Bangladesh.

After being asked to bat first in Antigua, the Men in Blue scored 196 runs for the loss of five wickets on Saturday, June 22. Although Jadeja wasn't at his best with the ball, the Group 1 table-toppers restricted Najmul Hossain Shanto and company to 146/8 to register a comprehensive 50-run win.

Reflecting on India's bowling in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra had contrasting views on Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja.

"Let's talk about Kuldeep Yadav. He is Rohit Sharma's favorite bowler. He always wants to keep him in his team. Since the ball has started coming slightly quicker from his hand, it's turning left or right after pitching, and he is picking up wickets. He remains economical and takes wickets as well," he said (7:40).

"He doesn't bowl loose balls. He is India's trump card. I am slightly concerned about Ravindra Jadeja's performance. I will be very honest because we haven't seen Ravindra Jadeja's premier avatar even once in this entire tournament. He is bowling too fast and too short, so he is unable to pick up wickets," Chopra added.

Kuldeep registered figures of 3/19 in four overs. On the flip side, Jadeja, who has picked up a solitary scalp in the ongoing T20 World Cup thus far, went wicketless and didn't seem to trouble the batters much.

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"Axar Patel also didn't bowl that well in this match, but then there were the fast bowlers" - Aakash Chopra

Axar Patel went wicketless and conceded 26 runs in his two overs.

While observing that Axar Patel too wasn't at his best, Aakash Chopra praised Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya for striking crucial blows.

"Axar Patel also didn't bowl that well in this match, but then there were the fast bowlers. Bumrah gave six runs in two overs at the start and a catch was also dropped. If Rishabh Pant had taken that catch, he would have got another wicket. Bumrah had two wickets, Arshdeep had two wickets, Hardik had one, and Kuldeep had three, and that's it, India won this game," he said (8:15).

The renowned commentator noted that the emphatic win against Bangladesh has virtually sealed India's semi-final berth.

"The 'Q' hasn't been written in front of their name as of now, but you can assume that it has been put. I tell you why. When India play against Australia tomorrow, it's great if they win, but even if they lose, the net run rate has gone so far ahead that we will be through even if it's a three-way tie. Don't worry about it, we are going to Guyana," Chopra explained.

India would have booked a place in the semi-final had Australia defeated Afghanistan in Saturday's evening game. Although the Afghans stunned the Aussies by 21 runs, the Men in Blue's net run rate of 2.425 should help them qualify for the knockouts unless they suffer a massive defeat in their final Group 1 game against Mitchell Marsh and company.