Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni
Ravindra Jadeja's all-round heroics rattled Royal Challengers Bangalore as Chennai Super Kings registered a 69-run victory on Sunday and climbed to the top of the points table.
Jadeja, a vital part of the CSK dug-out, hammered 62 not out off 28 balls, apart from taking three wickets and effecting a run-out. He said that he has never had a better day on a cricket field.
"Don't think so (if he had a better day). I've been working hard on my fitness, skill, everything. Luckily it paid off. It's been a tough job being all-rounder, you have to do all departments," Jadeja said.
"During training, I don't work on all three, I do skill work one day, training one day, fitness one day," he added when asked about his routine to hone his all-round skills.
Jadeja hit 37 runs off the last over of the CSK innings bowled by Harshal Patel, hitting five sixes and four, making it the joint most expensive over in the history of the IPL. Jadeja revealed that it was skipper MS Dhoni who told him that Harshal will bowl outside the off-stump.
Jadeja also became the first CSK player to score a half-century and take three or more wickets in an IPL game. "I was looking to hit hard in the last over, Mahi bhai told me he (Harshal) will be bowling somewhere outside the off-stump and I was ready for that.
"Luckily I connected with everything and we managed to reach 191, that was crucial over from our side. I knew I had to score some runs if I do get on strike. Today was not my day (on not getting a catch), but I did get one run-out (laughs), I'm happy with that," he said.
