Champions League T20 2013: A nightmare for Jadeja so far

Zee Media Bureau/Suyash Srivastava

New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings have made it to the semis of the Champions League Twenty20, but surprisingly, their key bowler Ravindra Jadeja has had a forgettable tournament where he completely failed to weave his magic. Jadeja had a horrible start in the tournament where he was smashed for 49 runs in three overs. Titans’ veteran player AB de Villiers played a brutal knock where he clobbered Jadeja for sixes and boundaries every now and then. Adding to Jadeja’s woes, the left-hander was bowled by Rowan Richards for a second-ball duck. The second match in the CL T20 was even worse for Jadeja. The left-armer was introduced into the attack in the 15th over where Darren Sammy hit three massive sixes and the over conceded 22 runs. Expectedly, Jadeja didn’t get another over. Jadeja finally got some fresh air to breathe in CSK’s third match of the series against Brisbane Heat where he scalped two wickets for 18 runs and for the first time completed his quota of four overs. After winning first three matches, Chennai had sealed their ticket for the semis but Jadeja once again disappointed in the fourth match against Trinidad & Tobago. He leaked 30 runs in two overs as the Denesh Ramdin-led side comprehensively won the match by eight wickets. Jadeja has been Dhoni’s go-to-man this year and his current form for sure would be bothering him along with the team management. While the World No. 1 ODI bowler continues to fight with his toughest phase of this year, it would be interesting to see how he delivers in the semis against Rajasthan Royals – an in-form side that boasts some big-hitting names like Shane Watson and Brad Hodge.