Ravindra Jadeja is more than handful on a batting-friendly track with his pinpoint accuracy but when it comes to pitches that offer slightest of help, he turns into a lethal weapon. The all-rounder with his parsimonious bowling and gun-fielding has been undoubtedly India's 'Most Valuable Player' in terms of utility. He has become the x-factor in the middle overs in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He wouldn't have the manic following of Virat Kohli, whose centuries would leave the crowd in raptures nor does he have that silken touch of Rohit Sharma, who sends the ball soaring into the stands. (IND Vs NZ Scorecard | Streaming | Full Coverage)
He won't leave everyone with mouths gaping as Jasprit Bumrah does often like the toe-crusher that left Mahmudullah Riyadh all at sea on Thursday.
Yet, leaving Jadeja out of playing XI isn't an option that can even remotely be explored. Jadeja is like salt, which is a must in any cuisine. You simply can't rustle up a good dish without salt and in this Indian set-up, Jadeja is that salt, which when added to the taste makes for a mouth-watering dish.
Jadeja's numbers in this current World Cup aren't staggering if one goes by the seven wickets that he has picked from four games but his spells in the middle overs have been highly responsible for putting brakes on the scoring.
It is his accuracy that has allowed Kuldeep Yadav to attack more from the other end.
Jadeja has so far bowled 131 dot balls across four games 37.5 overs. This effectively means that he has bowled dot balls worth 21.5 overs. The dot ball percentage is an astounding 58.22.
The number of boundary balls is just 11 across four games -- 9 fours and two sixes.
Is Jadeja Doing Something Different?
So what has Jadeja done differently in this World Cup which he hasn't till now? Well, when he was asked this question after the first match, his answer was hilarious but a way to stonewall the question.
"Aap ko strategy bataaoonga nahi. Aap Angrezi mein chaapoge aur log padh lenge (I won't reveal my gameplan. You will write in English and people will read it and know about it)," Jadeja had said in his inimitable style.
Former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, one of the most astute readers of the game, explained Jadeja's lethal transformation during the World Cup compared to earlier years.
"Jadeja is mixing it up nicely during the World Cup. If you look at his action from earlier times, it used to be round arm, he would bowl a lot of under-cutters because of that," Kartik explained while speaking to PTI on Friday.
Under-cutters are deliveries where the ball lands on its leather part rather than the stitched seam area. The result is that the ball doesn't turn and rather skids or goes straight.
These kind of deliveries are lethal if the wicket is under-prepared with upper crust blown away due to heat. Axar Patel is a known exponent of under-cutter with his heavily round arm action. But problem with these deliveries is on good surfaces, quality international batters are hardly troubled.
Here Kartik explained what Jadeja changed in past few months in the run up to the World Cup which has yielded such brilliant result.
"Jadeja isn't bowling round-arm any more and is using both side-spin and over-spin much more. The ball is consistently landing on the seam and it is helping him get extra bounce as well as sufficient turn to beat the bat," Kartik, who has played all three formats for India, said.
In simple terms, in side-spin, the rotation of the ball occurs in the air at right angles even as the ball travels towards the batters. In case of over spin, the rotation happens in the direction of the spin. In both cases the ball lands on the seam and on flat decks also, there is every chance of getting turn.
While the delivery to Steve Smith in Chennai has been much talked about, Kartik spoke about one that got Alex Carey leg before in the same game.
"The way the seam dropped was fantastic. He deceived Carey in air as well as off the surface. The way the ball hung in the air, Carey had thought it will land on a bit more fullish length. But he just held it back and shortened the length enough with dip in the air. Carey was undecided on whether to come forward or go back."
So is there any perfect pace to bowl on any surface?
"There can't be one. You need to judge the surface and vary your pace and length accordingly," Kartik said.
Does Jadeja need to do anything different against England, the team which plays spin very well?
"I don't think England have a full measure of Jadeja's deception. If they try to over-attack, they will be in deep trouble," he said.
