Coach Stephen Fleming in awe of Ravindra Jadeja
Ahmedabad, May 30
Stephen Fleming doesn’t believe in fairytales in sport but Ravindra Jadeja’s heist that took Chennai Super Kings to their fifth IPL trophy might come closest to it.
With 13 needed to win in the final over against Gujarat Titans, CSK managed only three runs off the first four balls before Jadeja smashed Mohit Sharma for a six and a four off the last two deliveries to snatch the trophy from Gujarat’s grasp.
“They say there are no fairytales in the sport, but it was a pretty good one today. It has been a bit difficult 18 months where, as the captaincy was difficult, the injury was difficult, it took a bit of time from out of the game for him to come back into and be reintegrated into the Test side, and then re-integrate into CSK,” Fleming said.
In fact, Fleming had thought it was all over before the final two deliveries were bowled by Mohit and Jadeja turned it around.
“We have lost finals on the last ball which is an absolute heartache. I was gearing up myself for another heartache when Jaddu hit one for six and there could have been more heartache or more joy, I was not sure. But when I saw the ball go down, finally there was pure joy. This competition takes you to emotional levels that you cannot imagine,” the Kiwi added.
Fleming was all praise for Jadeja’s firepower. The former New Zealand skipper explained Jadeja’s shot selection.
“The six, I think, in particular of the ball which was pretty close to being perfect, was defining, and then left-handed drive to the fine leg. It was a great way to finish it. I couldn’t be happier for him. There has been some frustration at times, but he is our gun player, he is a No. 1 ranked player and today he delivered,” Fleming added.