Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 23 : Rajasthan Royals (RR) star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja expressed satisfaction after his match-winning performance against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), saying he felt great to contribute to the victory and earn the Player of the Match award, which he dedicated to his wife Rivaba Jadeja.
He noted that the pitch was challenging, with movement off the surface, so he chose to stay at the crease and build his innings patiently.
Speaking about his bowling, Jadeja said the ball was gripping slightly, which allowed him to vary his pace effectively.
He added that he anticipated Nicholas Pooran's attacking intent and used his variations to outfox him, even joking that he had the batter "in his pocket."
"Feeling good, getting Man of the Match and winning. I would like to dedicate this award to the Education Minister of Gujarat (Rivaba Jadeja). Wicket wasn't that easy because the ball was swinging and seaming. I just wanted to play longer. He's (Pooran) in my pocket (chuckles). A random thought came into my mind. The ball was gripping a little bit. I knew I'd get a little hold. I knew he might play that shot at some stage, and I was mixing my pace. Today I looked to bowl slow," Jadeja said after the match.
Ravindra Jadeja delivered a superb all-round performancescoring a brisk 43 off 29 balls and picking up a key wicket, while a disciplined bowling display spearheaded by the pace duo of Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger helped Rajasthan Royals snap their two-match losing streak with a 40-run victory over LSG on Wednesday.
Jadeja was also awarded Player of the match for his all-round show with the bat and ball.
RR skipper Riyan Parag expressed satisfaction with his team's overall performance but admitted that the Royals fell short with the bat.
He felt the side could have pushed closer to 180, especially during his partnership with Shimron Hetmyer, given the conditions at the time.
Parag noted that the pitch was expected to slow down later, which would have made a higher total more challenging for the opposition, reinforcing his belief that RR left some runs out in the middle
"Very pleased. Firstly, I feel we were really short with the bat. The way the wicket was playing when Hetty and I were batting, I think we've got to be better. I thought, honestly, even with the situation we had, we were close to getting 180, and that would have been a really good score because I knew it was going to be slowing down later," Parag said.
With this win climbs to second spot in the IPL points table with 10 points after seven fixtures, while LSG stays in 9th position, struggling to grab those two important points.
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