Aaron Finch

IPL-17 | Ravindra Jadeja’s versatility makes him class act, says Aaron Finch

Danijones8 months ago03 mins

Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja celebrates a wicket during the Indian Premier League 2024 match against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on May 5, 2024. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy Former Australia skipper Aaron Finch has termed India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja a “class player” because of his versatility which brings in a lot of balance in all the teams that he represents. Jadeja scored 40-odd runs and took three wickets in Chennai Super Kings’ victory over Punjab Kings on May 5. “Ravindra Jadeja is such a versatile player, which makes him so effective. With the ball, he would have loved more wickets,” Finch told Star Sports. “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 impressed that Jadeja returned with fine figures of 3/20 in his full quota of four overs while defending a not-so-big 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 spoke highly about Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine. The 2021 World T20-winning Australian skipper feels 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.

‘I was surprised by the selection of…’: Former Australian captain on India’s T20 World Cup squad | Cricket News

Danijones8 months ago03 mins

NEW DELHI: Former Australian captain Aaron Finch conveyed his “surprise” regarding the composition of the Indian squad announced by the BCCI for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.The squad includes four spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, among the 15 selected players set to represent India in the tournament taking place in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to 29.Sharing his thoughts, Finch said, “I was surprised by the four spinners as well. I had Rinku in there and only two spinners.”“In my initial squad, I had the extra quick because I think, because of the inconsistency that we have seen with everyone bar Jasprit Bumrah with the ball, especially in the powerplay, I wanted the extra cover of that quick. And if they want to play three spinners in the game, one of them has to be prepared to bowl in the powerplay, and I don’t see any of those guys doing it consistently, so I think they’ve backed themselves into a corner slightly,” Finch told Star Sports.However, former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop expressed his approval of the selection, noting the potential behavior of pitches in the West Indies and the USA during the T20 World Cup.Bishop remarked that having four spinners in the squad could be considered a luxury rather than a necessity, indicating their adaptability to varying pitch conditions.“I guess spin will play a part in the tournament. The only concern I have is that the pitches for the World Cup may be slightly different from the ones we have seen in bilateral series or domestic tournaments. So I think it’s a luxury to have four spinners rather than it being a necessity.”(With IANS inputs)