Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra feels that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja ought to have been given the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his distinctive efficiency in opposition to South Africa within the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023. Jadeja together with his sluggish left-arm orthodox ripped aside the South African batting set-up on the iconic Eden Gardens, in Kolkata. His incoming angled deliveries typically stayed straight or spun away from the batters making it onerous for the opposition to grasp and regulate to the floor. He ended with a five-wicket haul conceding simply 33 runs in his 9-over spell. The left-handed all-rounder was additionally useful with the bat, scoring 29 runs in 15 balls in the long run to energy India to a rating of 326-5. Even although Jadeja stood out with each the bat in addition to the ball, Virat Kohli was awarded the MOM following his record-breaking ton in opposition to the Proteas.

Hosting JioCinema’s day by day sports activities present ‘#AAKASHVANI,’ Chopra spoke of the impression that Jadeja had on the sport and stated, “Ravindra Jadeja was all over South Africa. In my opinion, he should have been the player of the match. That’s because it’s simply very difficult to take five wickets in an innings. How difficult? I’ll give you an example. He became only the second Indian spinner to take a five-wicket haul at an ODI World Cup. More so, he got rid of the top-order batsmen and not the tail. He also scored crucial runs.”

Coming to the match, India opted to bat first and scored 326/5 of their 50 overs. Rohit Sharma (40 in 23 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and Shubman Gill (23 in 24 balls with 4 fours and a six) offered India with a brisk begin. After their dismissal, Virat carried on the innings with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 77 in 87 balls with seven fours and two sixes.

Quickfire cameos from Suryakumar Yadav (22 in 14 balls, with 5 fours) and Ravindra Jadeja (29* in 15 balls with three fours and a six) helped India attain the 300-run mark. Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi all took a wicket every.

While chasing 327, the Proteas by no means regarded like a menace. Ravindra Jadeja (5/33), Kuldeep Yadav (2/7) and Mohammed Shami (2/18) placed on a bowling masterclass to bundle out SA for simply 83 in 27.1 overs. With solely Marco Jansen (14), Rassie van der Dussen (13), David Miller and skipper Temba Bavuma (11 every) crossing the 10-run mark.