'Bits & pieces' Ravindra Jadeja comes up with miserly spell

Ravindra Jadeja after claiming the wicket of SLu00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099s Kusal Mendis at Leeds on Saturday. Pic /AFP

Leeds: A few days after Ravindra Jadeja was called a 'bits and pieces' player by India batsman-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, the left-arm spinner proved his worth straightaway in his first World Cup match here at Headingley on Saturday.

Though Jadeja warmed the bench for eight games, the Saurashtra player showed no rustiness when an opportunity came his way in the last league match against Sri Lanka.

Early strike

He provided the breakthrough when he foxed Kusal Mendis for three in the flight only to be stumped by MS Dhoni on the fourth ball of his first over.

The wicket couldn't have come at a better time for Jadeja with Manjrekar behind the microphone at that moment. "Jadeja is a quick bowler and this is a pitch that's going to turn. Of the three spinning options India have - Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal - have been the game-changers for India in the middle in the last 18 months.

"Assuming India play in Birmingham, they [India] won't have the heart to play both wrist-spinners especially the England played those two wrist-spinners in the last game. So, I see Jadeja as a good compromise, a good option. He can keep the runs down when the pitch is turning," Manjrekar was quoted as saying on air by India Today website.

Lucky Mathews

He could have sent back Angelo Mathews for 61 had Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed to hold on to an easy catch at long-on. Mathews went on to score 113.

Until his final over, Jadeja had managed to keep the economy rate just above three runs per over. However, he conceded 11 runs after Mathews hit a six and a four, spoiling his figures as he eventually ended with 10-0-40-1.

Jadeja played a handy role during India's first warm-up game of the World Cup where he scored 54 in testing conditions against New Zealand. Jadeja gives India a massive edge in the fielding department as well. As a substitute in the England match, it was Jadeja's athletic catch that helped India gain their first wicket (Jason Roy).

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