Ravindra Jadeja of Rajasthan Royals (Photo by ANI) Ravindra Jadeja made a memorable return to Rajasthan Royals after 17 years as he marked his comeback in striking fashion with a double-wicket spell against Chennai Super Kings at the ACA Stadium on Monday. The Royals pink jersey veteran impressed with figures of 2/18, using clever variations and subtle changes of pace to complement the early onslaught of Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger. “I think the pink suits me, I think. I’ve known Shivam Dube for a long time – I’ve bowled with him in the nets so I understand how he approaches the spinners. I was prepared for it and I tried to bite outside because I knew he was going to want to play big shots against me,” Jadeja said during the mid-innings on-air chat. His dismissal of Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube proved crucial as RR bowled out five-time champions CSK for a modest 127. Social media was abuzz after Jadeja’s fiery delivery to Dube, who staged his comeback in style. Reflecting on the pitch, Jadeja added: “I felt the wicket was sticking a bit and the ball was spinning, so I really enjoyed the bowling – my job was to hit the right areas and leave the rest on the pitch.”Chasing Jadeja, she reminded the young Royals of the need to focus, saying: “You can’t take anything for granted in cricket; regardless of the target, you have to work hard, play your shots and give 100 per cent.” CSK struggled with the RR bowling and batting fire with only Jamie Overton (43 off 36) putting up less resistance. Archer, Burger and Jadeja shared the spoils and all claimed decisive wickets in a clinical side. The efforts of the bowlers laid the platform for an explosive batting display from 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who blasted his way to a 15-ball half-century, essentially ending the match. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag completed the chase in just 12.1 overs to give RR a dominant eight-wicket win.
