Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes lauded Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his 'next level' fielding ability. He also praised Suresh Raina, saying that he is a big fan of the former Chennai Super Kings batter.
"I am a big fan of Suresh Raina. I enjoyed his playing days but now he has retired. In the past in India, the cricketing infrastructure wasn't there to support the passion and love for cricket. Suresh Raina was someone who used to throw himself around the field," said Rhodes, who was made the brand ambassador of the Hero Pro Corporate League cricket tournament on Saturday.
"Unlike Raina, I had a very fortunate upbringing. I played football, hockey and cricket on good grounds. So I was very fortunate," he added.
Rhodes also highlighted that Jadeja is a 'next level' fielder and he is a complete all-rounder. "I think Jadeja is at the next level, he doesn't dive as much but he is so fast to the ball. And his accuracy at throwing down the stumps is somewhat like Ricky Ponting. He fields on the boundary, he fields on the circle. He is a complete all-round fielder," added Rhodes.
'Zaheer will bring calmness in the team': Rhodes
Meanwhile, Rhodes also opened up on the impact newly-appointed mentor Zaheer Khan will create in the Lucknow Super Giants camp. "Zaheer Khan will definitely bring the calmness in the team. Having someone like Zak (Zaheer Khan) around will be of great help for the franchise.
"The team meetings, selections meetings, franchise meetings with owners you need calm head because the tournament goes up and down as per results, you need that support and consistency. Fortunately, we had that support earlier too, on and off the field but we need to continue that," he said on Zaheer.
"Team is no longer a brand new franchise it has been around for three years now, so obviously the pressure is there to perform. We need to acheive what we plan, to reach playoffs, we haven’t reached final yet, so with Zak and his calmness I think it will be very important for the franchise also with the technique and bowling experience that he carries will benefit franchise," the legendary fielder added.
