Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best all-rounders playing the game currently who trades his skills for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He has been part of this team since 2012 and has now grown to become an integral member of the unit.
How did the journey start and how did the bond become so special?
Jadeja was part of the famous U-19 batch of 2008 who went on to win the World Cup under the leadership of Virat Kohli. He was earmarked as special by one and many for his pyrotechnics both with the bat and the ball. He was first picked up by Rajasthan Royals in the 2008 auctions, wherein Shane Warne took him under his wings and also called him a rockstar.
After 2 decent seasons, Jadeja faced a dark and turbulent year in 2010 when he was barred from playing the IPL for a year, as he was involved in backroom trading with a couple of other franchisees looking for a better pay package.
In 2011, he was picked up by the now-defunct team-“Kochi Tuskers” who were terminated from the league just after a single season. In 2012, came the watershed moment for Ravindra Jadeja, when he was picked up by CSK after fighting off a bidding war against Deccan Chargers for a whopping amount of $2 million.
It has been 7 seasons for him with CSK (as they were exempted from playing in 2016 and 2017) up until now and he has proven his credentials repeatedly season after season tirelessly.
Even when he was dropped from the national team, Jadeja performed for CSK and made his comeback to the Indian team through the IPL.
Post the Champions Trophy final debacle in 2017, when India started looking beyond Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, the latter used the platform of IPL to stage a comeback showcasing his all-round prowess.
This year has been quite indifferent to CSK, with multiple losses on the trot, their talismanic number 3 dropping off from the league days before the tournament began. CSK for the first time in the history of IPL failed to qualify for the play-offs but one man has enhanced his reputation like no other in this aging squad of players and that player is Ravindra Jadeja.
His numbers are right up there with the best finishers in the competition this season and his celebration pointing at the India Cements name suggested that what this jersey means to him, what this franchise means to him.
It has been a case of mutual admiration for the man, for the team, for the franchise, and for the fans. Jadeja is now synonymous with CSK! He is the future and for a veteran who has played 7 seasons for them, it is quite an achievement.
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