For Gujarat Lions, the ride into the Indian Premier League hasn’t been something that they can be really proud of. They have lost both the matches that they played against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, but what pains them the most is the fact that they could manage just one wicket. That explains why coach Brad Hodge was all smiles to see Ravindra Jadeja roll his arms in the nets.
The struggling bowling attack of the Lions’ will be bolstered by the control and variation that the left-arm Saurashtrian brings into his bowling. The steady length and the discipline, the man amassing immense knowledge of the format and the conditions will add to their attack. The home boy would also give captain Suresh Raina the option to bowl a spinner in the powerplay, and bat him at any spot in the batting order.
As Jadeja prepares to set his foot on the playground, deafened by the roars from the fans, he had an interaction with the IPLT20 official website, where he mentioned that he would like to “carry on the momentum” when he was bowling against the Aussies. “I was in good rhythm during the Test series against Australia,” he said. “I had the momentum both while batting and bowling. I had that flow, so I was looking to continue that.”
On the question that his inclusion in the side would turn the tides for the Lions, Jadeja said, “I always look to contribute as much as I can for the team. My goal has always been to be a utility player who can answer his team’s needs in any circumstances. Whether it is bowling or batting, I want to contribute and fill the gap for the team.”
However, ‘Sir’ asserted that bowling in Test and T20 is very different. “If you bowl the Test lines in T20, they will hammer you. In the T20 format, you must vary your line and length and also your bowling speed. You have to mix everything. You cannot be bowling at the same speed. Also, you need to be aware of the strong points of a batsman and his scoring areas,” he added.
As the Gujarat boys go against Pune Supergiants tonight, Jaddu warned that they have a strong batting line-up and therefore, identifying their weak areas and targeting them will only help their cause. “We need to bowl really well and restrict them to a low total. We have a good batting line-up, so even if we have a big target, we’re capable of chasing it down. We need to bat deep and try and save runs in the field too,” he concluded.
