Veteran left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja marked his comeback in Rajasthan Royals (RR) colours after 17 years with a double-wicket blow against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the ACA Stadium and said he felt ‘pink looks good’ on him.
Jadeja’s spell of 2/18 – where he extracted turn, and brought in subtle changes of pace - helped RR tighten their grip on the contest after Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger had rocked CSK early. Monday’s match also saw Jadeja set a new IPL record for longest gap between appearances for the same franchise.
“I think pink looks good on me, I guess. I’ve known Shivam Dube for a long time - I’ve bowled to him in the nets, so I understand how he approaches spinners. I was prepared for that and tried to bowl outside off, because I knew he would look to play big shots against me,” said Jadeja in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.
Jadeja’s dismissal of impact substitute Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube proved to be pivotal as inaugural champions RR bowled out five-time winners CSK for 127. Jadeja had given Dube a fiery send-off, a moment that quickly was taken note of by social media followers.
Asked on how the pitch fared for him, where some turn was being offered, Jadeja said, “I felt the wicket was a bit sticky and the ball was turning, so I really enjoyed bowling - my job was just to hit the right areas and let the pitch do the rest.
He further felt chasing 128 will demand hard work from RR’s young batting line-up. “You can’t take anything for granted in cricket; no matter the target, you have to work hard, play your shots, and give your 100 percent.”