Sanjay Manjrekar feels Ravindra Jadeja will fit at top of batting line-up if he keeps delivering key contributions

New Delhi [India], August 31 : Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar is all praises for star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, saying that he can fit perfectly on more top positions in the batting order if he keeps delivering consistent performances.
Jadeja played a key knock of 35 runs that helped India win over Pakistan by five wickets.
"Yes. Very good move and I loved it. And I do not think it was a gamble. It was not a wild card because Pakistan were bowling two spinners, one leg spinner and a left-arm spinner, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab. So, they were going to bowl for a while and that is what Babar did. It was like they bowled one over spell or two over spell," he said on Sports 18 program 'Sports Over The Top'.
"A left-hander coming in would just make things a little difficult. The ball also, the pitch looked green, but the ball was turning, so the spinners were going to make an impact. So that was pretty good. And also, there was another long-term clue or a thought that could come in, is that now slowly in white ball cricket, Jadeja could now be looked at as a batting all-rounder. He bowled 2 overs, but if he's going to take important positions in the batting order and make the kind of contribution that he did against Pakistan then Wow! He fits in perfectly."
"So, you have got Hardik Pandya as the extra bowler, then Jadeja can be your push-in if one of the seamers do not bowl well. So going up the order and him also delivering are great signs for India where there we are seeing slowly a transition of Jadeja becoming more of a batting all-rounder in white ball cricket."
Manjrekar also lauded star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, saying that everything about him currently is unreal, be it his shows with the bat or ball.
"Just his calmness. I mean everything about him is currently unreal. His bowling returns are unreal, which is fine, which is something that you get with others as well. But his ability to keep calm and get runs under pressure. That last over, you know last night was a tricky one because Hardik was in there and played the faster bowlers mostly and he was hitting the path. There was a rhythm of hitting against the quicker bowlers and suddenly the situation was such that Pakistan had to bring in the left-arm spinner in and Jadeja getting out to the first ball and then he had four balls to get those runs," said Manjrekar.
"I mean, the pressure is immense but the kind of shots also that he plays to get those winning runs under pressure is just outstanding. I am sure from inside there is a bit of nerves, but he has this confidence currently which he said last night as well, is that he believes that the bowler would be under more pressure. So, he is just in a zone where you think everything that he is doing is just unreal. Absolutely brilliant," he added.
Hardik Pandya has been getting a lot of acclaims this year, be it for his superb all-round show with bat and ball or his captaincy that helped Gujarat Titans clinch their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title in their debut season.
Pandya returned to his fully fit avatar in 2022 after dealing with fitness issues over the years to lead Gujarat Titans to their maiden India Premier League (IPL) title in their debut season. Throughout the season, Pandya led his side from the front with his all-round show, scoring 487 runs at an average of 44.27 in 15 games and hitting four fifties. He also took eight wickets for his side, including a match-winning 3/17 in the final.
Since then, he has shown exceptional form for India in T20Is and has played many crucial knocks, be it as an aggressor or an anchor. In T20Is this year, Pandya has scored 314 runs across 13 innings in 14 matches at an average of 34.88. He has scored one half-century and various other crucial knocks. He has also taken 11 wickets for his side in 14 matches with best bowling figures of 4/33.
In three ODIs as well, he has hit 100 runs in two innings across three matches with an average of 50, with one fifty and the best score of 71. He has also taken six wickets across these three matches, with best figures of 4/24.
Manjrekar also talked about the changes that star batter Virat Kohli has to make in his batting to regain form.
"A couple of things that I saw which I liked and something that I have not seen him do much before. If you remember he played three pulls in that innings. There was one hook that went for six, but there were a couple of pull shots that he played and those are the things that I look for you know as an analyst. This is what excites me whether he is trying to do anything different. Just getting a little bit technical, before the ball was delivered," he said.
"On two occasions, he actually had a trigger movement where he went back in the crease, which meant that I think finally somebody's got to him where he is now exploring the back foot play a little more. I saw that happen in England, but still mostly onto the front foot. There was a catch dropped again on the front foot reaching for the ball. So, if he starts mixing back foot aggression, I am not saying back foot defence. Back foot aggression along with front foot aggression, life might just get better, and those signs were seen in that innings against Pakistan."
Since his last international century, Virat has represented India in 69 matches and scored 2,589 runs across 83 innings at an average of 34.06. He has hit 24 half-centuries across all formats since his last international ton.
2022 in particular has been very tough for Virat.
This year, Virat has played only five T20Is for his side, across which he has scored 116 runs at a subpar average of 23.20. His best score in the format this year is 52.
Across all formats this year, he has represented India in 17 matches and across 20 innings, he had been able to score only 511 runs at a sub-par average of 25.55. Only four half-centuries have come off his bat, with the best score of 79.
India will lock horns against Hong Kong in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 on Wednesday.