Although he didn’t get to bat and didn’t take any wicket, Ravindra Jadeja was involved heavily in the field during the semi-final against New Zealand at the Wankhede stadium as he took three brilliant catches, all of them were tough chances because of the height the ball traveled and his being positioned near the boundary line.
It was a sort of redemption for Ravindra Jadeja too, who was India’s best player in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester, but India couldn’t win that game.
At the heady Wankhede stadium, Ravindra Jadeja took the catches of Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Mark Chapman, the first two catches really important given Mitchell and Phillips were looking dangerous and had kept the match alive in the tall chase of the target of 398 runs.
The catch of Glenn Phillips, in particular, was challenging as Jadeja was close to the boundary line. Phillips was deceived by a slower ball outside off-stump from Jasprit Bumrah, but had enough power in his shot to send the ball sailing left of Jadeja at long-off.
As the Wankhede held its breath, Ravindra Jadeja kept his eyes on the ball and calmly settled under it, taking the catch at his shoulder height. As he completed the catch, Jadeja cheekily sat on his haunches just inches away from the boundary line, teasing everyone.
He then got up and walked off with a smile. The cameraman was prompted to show Jadeja’s wife, Rivaba Jadeja, on the screens. Rivaba had a sweet smile on her face seeing her husband take a brilliant catch.
Rivaba’s smiling reaction to the superb catch from husband Ravindra Jadeja has gone viral:
Watch the catch here:
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India defeated New Zealand by 70 runs in the semi-final, though the margin wouldn’t reflect how tense the chase had gotten for India when Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, and then Glenn Phillips were cracking boundaries.
But, Mohammed Shami’s 7-wicket haul proved too much for the Kiwis in the end.
India will play the World Cup 2023 final on Sunday in Ahmedabad against the winner of the semi-final between Australia and South Africa.
