Ravindra Jadeja comes spinning into India's World Cup vision

Five wickets to wreck South Africa's innings after a batting cameo meant he too was very much in focus at the Eden Gardens on Sunday night.

As bowlers are wont to, Ravindra Jadeja almost willed Rohit Sharma to seek the review. The difference this time was that Sharma, the lone slip, didn’t need much convincing. The stump microphone caught the India skipper saying in Hindi that a review was worth it as he was the last recognised South Africa batter. The ‘he’ in question was Heinrich Klassen and at 40/3 inside the 13th over, the risk was sure worth taking.

On a night India’s bowlers again delivered as a unit – even though it beggars belief that Jasprit Bumrah didn’t get a wicket and that by the time Kuldeep Yadav, who cleaned up the tail, was introduced, South Africa were 64/6 – Sharma was vindicated. Jadeja’s delivery had pitched on leg and Klassen had to go after failing to sweep. Next over, Mohammed Shami and KL Rahul were quicker to the draw in calling for DRS and again Sharma went with the flow.

As bowlers are wont to, Ravindra Jadeja almost willed Rohit Sharma to seek the review. The difference this time was that Sharma, the lone slip, didn’t need much convincing. The stump microphone caught the India skipper saying in Hindi that a review was worth it as he was the last recognised South Africa batter. The ‘he’ in question was Heinrich Klassen and at 40/3 inside the 13th over, the risk was sure worth taking.

On a night India’s bowlers again delivered as a unit – even though it beggars belief that Jasprit Bumrah didn’t get a wicket and that by the time Kuldeep Yadav, who cleaned up the tail, was introduced, South Africa were 64/6 – Sharma was vindicated. Jadeja’s delivery had pitched on leg and Klassen had to go after failing to sweep. Next over, Mohammed Shami and KL Rahul were quicker to the draw in calling for DRS and again Sharma went with the flow.

Again, India were right which meant that hit on the back leg by Shami, Rassie van der Dussen had to go. At 40/5 after 40/4, South Africa’s chase of India’s score of 326/5 was over even before it began. So imperious and relentless was the bowling in this 243-run win that Sharma could even have yielded to the chant of ‘Kohli ko bowling do’ eddying around Eden.

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