Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Watch: Ravindra Jadeja delights CSK fans with unexpected move during practice at Chepauk Stadium ahead of IPL 2023
Ravindra Jadeja has shown in the buildup to IPL 2023 that he has moved well past the problems that had led to him walking out CSK's team hotel last season.
It wasn't too long ago that Ravindra Jadeja's future with the Chennai Super Kings was up in the air. Jadeja had been made captain just two days before the start of the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Replacing the legendary MS Dhoni in the role was a daunting task in itself and it became even worse after the team ended up losing a slew of matches under him and the all-rounder was ultimately sacked from the post. Dhoni was reinstated that CSK experienced an upturn in form, although that only got them to ninth spot on the league table.
Jadeja's relationship with CSK seemed to have come to a breaking point after he lost captaincy as he did not play most matches in the rest of the season. However, he now seems completely focused on the next season, taking an active role in the practice sessions that are on at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai and interacting with the fans as well. A video tweeted by CSK shows Jadeja waving at the fans and then doing the ‘Pushpa’ move, much to their delight.
Watch video here:
According to Cricbuzz, the 34-year-old had a "long, frank chat" with Dhoni and CEO Kasi Viswanathan and the 'air of misunderstanding' between all parties was cleared. Jadeja reportedly opened up to Dhoni and Viswanathan on "what irked him" and what he expected in the future.
The trio had two one-on-one sessions in which Jadeja reportedly stated that he was upset over a couple of factors. The first was that the captaincy was taken away from him and the second was that he was not being able to perform at his best. Usually one of CSK's most potent players with bat, ball and in the field, Jadeja scored 116 runs at an average of 19 and claimed five wickets at an economy rate of 7.52. Cricbuzz further reports that the position of captaincy may have ended up burdening him and affected his performance. Jadeja stayed back after India's third and final ODI against Australia and joined the CSK camp. CSK will start their campaign against defending champions Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on March 31, the season-opener.
Fans are now excited about the fact that Jadeja and Ben Stokes, widely considered the two best all-rounders in the world across formats, will both be playing for CSK. The four-time champions play their first match of the 2023 season against defending champions Gujarat Titans on March 31 in what will be the tournament opener.
