Guwahati, March 30 – Veteran left-arm spin bowler Ravindra Jadeja marked his return to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) after 17 years with a double-wicket dismissal against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the ACA Stadium, and said he felt "pink looks good" on him.
Jadeja's spell of 2/18 – where he extracted turn and varied his pace – helped RR maintain their control after Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger had initially dominated CSK. Monday's match also saw Jadeja set a new IPL record for the longest gap between appearances for the same franchise.
"I think pink looks good on me, I guess. I've known Shivam Dube for a long time – I've bowled to him in the nets, so I understand how he approaches spinners. I was prepared for that and tried to bowl outside off, because I knew he would look to play big shots against me," said Jadeja in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.
Jadeja's dismissal of impact substitute Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube proved to be crucial as inaugural champions RR bowled out five-time winners CSK for 127. Jadeja gave Dube a fiery send-off, a moment that quickly caught the attention of social media followers.
Asked about how the pitch fared for him, where some turn was being offered, Jadeja said, "I felt the wicket was a bit sticky and the ball was turning, so I really enjoyed bowling – my job was just to hit the right areas and let the pitch do the rest."
He further felt that chasing 128 would require hard work from RR's young batting lineup. "You can't take anything for granted in cricket; no matter the target, you have to work hard, play your shots, and give your 100 percent."