World Cup | ‘Show Intent..’, Kumble Warns Batters After Ravindra Jadeja’s Spell vs AUS
Ravindra Jadeja celebrates a wicket against Australia (AP)
Ravindra Jadeja tangled Australia with his spin web to lead India to a colossal victory in their opening World Cup 2023 outing in Chennai. The star all-rounder dismissed Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey, all within a space of just ten deliveries to dismantle Australia's top order from 110-2 to 119-5.
Reaping the benefits from pristine spin conditions on offer at the Chepauk Stadium, Jadeja eventually finished with figures of 3-28 from his ten overs. His match-winning spell against Australia earned him rave laurels from across the cricketing fraternity. Indian great Anil Kumble also praised the ace spinner and issued a stern warning to opposition batters for the 2023 World Cup.
Anil Kumble urges opposition batters to show intent against Jadeja
Legendary Indian cricketer Anil Kumble has praised Ravindra Jadeja for his spellbinding performance against Australia in Chennai. Kumble claimed that Jadeja has the ability to hit the mark six times in an over, and it tends to become very difficult for opposition batters to counter him if they are not willing to show any intent with the bat.
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The former Indian captain also pointed out the delivery that castled a well-set Steve Smith against the run-of-play, saying that the spinner merely adjusted his angles accordingly to orchestrate the big Australian wicket. While speaking with ESPNCricinfo, Anil Kumble said:
“If you do not show any intent against Ravindra Jadeja, it becomes very tough for a batter. Six out of six times, he will land the ball on that point. On a surface like this, all he did was change the angles. He went close to the stumps, bowled to the right-hander and then went round, slightly wide, threw that angle in, that is what got Steve Smith out. He was thinking that it would come straight but because of the angle, it beat his outside edge. Brilliant bowling.”
Ravindra Jadeja's spell, coupled with assistance from Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and an early burst from Jasprit Bumrah, restricted the Australians to just 199 in their innings upfront.
Later in the Indian run-chase, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul overcame the team's top-order jitters to register a comfortable six-wicket win.
The 'Men in Blue', under Rohit Sharma, will now face Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on October 11 for their subsequent World Cup 2023 challenge.
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