‘I want 11 Jaddus on the field’ – Deepak Chahar hails Ravindra Jadeja’s fielding

Deepak Chahar put on an exhibition of swing bowling in the IPL 2021 clash between Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings. In a sensational spell in the powerplay, Chahar picked up his best IPL figures of 4/13. His wickets included Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda. However, there was one more factor which played a big role for Chennai Super Kings. Ravindra Jadeja was simply sensational in the field and along with Chahar’s bowling, Punjab Kings were decimated.

Jadeja’s first act of brilliance was to dismiss KL Rahul with a direct hit for 5. The left-armer scored a direct hit and created a record for the most direct hits in the IPL with 22. His next best moment was when he sent back Gayle with a brilliant catch. Earlier, Gayle had gotten a reprieve when Ruturaj Gaikwad dropped him at backward point. However, Jadeja made amends and ensured Gayle did not make Chennai Super Kings pay.

Speaking in the post-match presentation, Chahar hailed Jadeja’s fielding contributions and said all 11 players should be like him on the field. “When the catch went to Ruturaj, it was a quick one. Only Jaddu could’ve taken that so I was like he should’ve been there. He’s one of the best in the world, has taken so many catches off my bowling. I want 11 Jaddus on the field,” Chahar said. 

Bowl dots if not taking wickets

Chahar has undergone a roller-coaster journey in the last couple of years. After taking 6/7 against Bangladesh which resulted in a hat-trick, Chahar was sidelined with a stress fracture on the back. In IPL 2020, he was sidelined with coronavirus and missed a majority of Chennai Super Kings’ games. However, his display in the game against Punjab Kings showed that he was back in control and had a clear focus. 

“Last year was difficult for all of us. I had Covid, was in quarantine for 28 days and after that I played in just 4 days. It was difficult for me to straightaway play a game from quarantine. We planned, prepared well for the game today, had to do a lot of planning because the first two games here were high-scoring,” Chahar said.

He outlined his mantra for success in the ongoing IPL. “I am always the one who starts the tone for the match. If I take a wicket or bowl a maiden over then obviously we can take the momentum. It’s a big responsibility I’ve been having since the last four years and Mahi bhai has shown faith in me,” Chahar said.