Ravindra Jadeja has come in for scathing criticism from T-20 great and member of the 2007 World Cup winning squad, Joginder Sharma. The Haryanvi T-20 specialist slammed Jadeja for handing the match away on a platter by bowling a good length ball which the execrable Shoaib Malik lofted for a DLF Pepsi maximum.
“With 10 required off the final over, I though the match was in our hands, but I didn’t reckon for Jadeja’s pedestrian and mindless blowing,” rued Sharma.
Recalling his own heroics in that fateful T-20 Finals encounter with the old foe during the 2007 World Cup, Jogi said the right approach would have been for Jadeja to bowl the drifter down the leg side and tempt Mallik into playing the scoop shot to be snapped up at deep fine leg. “In the 2007 finals, the skipper told me: ‘Jogi, we are in a position from where only extremely pedestrian bowling can make us lose. I just want you to bowl your four overs and dismiss that scary Misbah dude if possible cos he can later turn out to be a real pain in the a***.’ So I baited my quarry with patience, feeding him half volleys, full tosses and rank long hops to lull him into complacency. And after he had carted me all over the park, I unleashed my secret weapon – the long hop going drifting down the leg-side to have my man,” recalled Jogi nostalgically.
Skipper Dhoni has defended Ravindra Jadeja while conceding that India has not been able to find a quality bits and pieces player of the calibre of Joginder Sharma. “The 2007 squad was from a different era, the pre-IPL era to be precise. It’s unfair to compare the present lot with the legends of that side which I had the privilege of leading,” said Dhoni, eyes welling up with tears.
Joginder is now in talks with BCCI to set up a bowling academy in Rohtak to teach rookies the black art of bowling at the death.