Mohammed Siraj. (Photo Source: Disney+Hotstar)
Veteran India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja lost his calm during India’s third ODI against Australia in Chennai, when Mohammed Siraj dropped a tough catch of David Warner. The incident happened on the final ball of the 20th over of Australia’s innings, when the southpaw attempted to sweep Jadeja. However, he failed to time the ball and hit the top edge of the bat and went straight to deep backward square.
In an attempt to grab the ball, Siraj covered a lot of distance and dived full stretch but could not complete the catch. Jadeja was absolutely livid and criticised Siraj in the middle, something that former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar did not appreciate. While commentating, the 73-year-old defended Siraj and mentioned on-air that it was a difficult catch. He pointed out Jadeja should understand that everyone does not have the same fielding standards as him.
“With Siraj what we have seen over the years, in the last 2-3 years – he still hasn’t developed that instinct. So, it was a late start. This was a tough one, make no mistake. It was not an easy catch at all. But he started late and therefore he had to dive. No wonder! (Talking about Jadeja’s scream of anguish) But then, it can’t be your standards, Ravindra. Your standards are sky high,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Nevertheless, Warner could not make it count as he only managed to score 23 off 31. Notably, the Indian bowlers were superb as they bundled the visiting team out for 269. All-rounder Hardik Pandya was sensational, picking up three wickets of Travis Head (33), Steve Smith (0), and Mitchell Marsh (47) while Kuldeep damaged their middle order by picking the wickets of David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne (28) and Alex Carey (38).
The Men in Blue will hope for a strong start in the second innings as the Rohit Sharma-led side is eyeing to register a win and keep the trophy home.
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