Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch has hailed Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as a “class player” due to his exceptional versatility that brings balance to any team he represents. Jadeja’s recent performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have further solidified his reputation as a top-class cricketer.
In Chennai Super Kings’ victory over Punjab Kings on May 5, Jadeja showcased his all-around abilities. He scored a valuable 40 runs and claimed three wickets, playing a pivotal role in his team’s triumph. Finch, who has witnessed Jadeja’s brilliance firsthand, was impressed by his performance.
“Ravindra Jadeja is such a versatile player, which makes him so effective. With the ball, he would have loved more wickets,” Finch said. “He’s been economical, going at under eight per over throughout the tournament. Leading with three wickets today (Sunday), he showed he is an absolute class player.”
Finch was particularly impressed by Jadeja’s ability to return with figures of 3/20 in his full quota of four overs while defending a modest total of 169. “Three wickets for just 20 runs when the Punjab Kings were chasing a total of 170 odd runs is just superb. It just shows why he’s one of the best players in the world,” the Australian said.
Finch also praised Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine, another versatile player who has been in exceptional form this season. The 2021 World T20-winning Australian skipper believes that it is extremely difficult to contain Narine for a long period of time.
“It’s truly remarkable, isn’t it? I mean, seeing Sunil Narine stride out to open the batting. Before this season, you’re thinking, if we can just keep him quiet for a couple of balls, he’ll try and do something and play a big shot. But this season, he’s not only getting off to explosive starts but also batting smartly and seizing control of the innings,” Finch said.
The 35-year-old Narine smashed 81 off just 39 balls to power KKR to a comfortable 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday night. In the process, Narine also became the fourth player to score more than 450 runs and take 10 plus wickets in a single IPL edition.
