IPL 2023: Sunil Gavaskar Snubs ‘Fearless’ Ravindra Jadeja, Picks ‘Show-stopper’ For MI vs CSK Match

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) outclassed Mumbai Indians (MI) in front of a raucous Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Ravindra Jadeja made an impression with his left-arm spin as he took the key wickets of Ishan Kishan (32), Cameron Green, out for 12 after an excellent caught and bowled, and Tilak Varma (22) to restrict Mumbai to 157 for 8. Jadeja’s performance earned him plaudits from several current and former players, including former India captain Sunil Gavaskar. Speaking on Star Sports after the conclusion of the match, Gavaskar heaped praise on Jadeja, labellling the all-rounder “fearless like his captain” MS Dhoni.

“Like his captain, Jadeja is absolutely fearless. Green’s catch is like making a possibility out of the improbable. No matter how much you praise this player, it is less,” Gavaskar said.

However, Gavaskar picked Ajinkya Rahane as the “show-stopper” for scoring a match-winning fifty on his CSK debut. Gavaskar added that Rahane made “everyone fall in love with his classical stroke play”.

“But the show-stopper of the evening was a Mumbai boy albeit in CSK’s yellow jersey, Rahane – who played a knock for the ages. Playing his first game for CSK, the India cricketer made everyone fall in love with his classical stroke play, again,” he added.

Rahane hit the fastest fifty of the IPL season in 19 balls as CSK defeated MI by seven wickets. He stood out as the day’s best performer with his 27-ball 61 on debut for Chennai, guiding them to their target of 158 with 11 balls to spare.