Former Australian cricket team star Tom Moody was not impressed by Ravindra Jadeja‘s batting for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL 2024 and he said that although the all-rounder is a top spin option, he is not ‘good enough’ to bat at No. 7 for India in the T20 World Cup 2024. Jadeja is being considered as one of the sure-shot picks for the World Cup squad but the decision taken by CSK to promote him up the order has not worked out for them till now. He has scored 157 runs in 9 matches till now and his strike rate of 131.93 has not helped his case.
“I’d be taking Jadeja purely because I’m looking for the best left-arm spinning option. He’s the best left-arm spinner in the country. In my eleven, he’s not batting at No.7. I don’t think he’s good enough to bat seven in a World Cup side. He’s proven that with his strike rate. You need an impact-type player batting at seven,” he told Star Sports.
Former India star Irfan Pathan, who was a part of the discussion panel, also echoed similar sentiments and said that playing Jadeja at No. 7 means that the Rohit Sharma-led side will have to play a proper finisher in their ranks.
“This is what I’m really scared about when it comes to World Cup. Look, my worry is with T20 World Cup, we pretty much sorted as far as the top-order batting is concerned. We pretty much sorted in the middle overs as well. If we’re thinking Ravindra Jadeja is a number seven batter, you need a good finisher. His numbers are not that great as far as the strike rate is concerned at the international level,” he explained.
The Indian cricket team is expected to name their 15-member squad within May 1.