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