Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja has emphasised a team-first mindset, saying he ‘leaves his ego in the hotel room’ before stepping onto the field, even as he hasn’t bowled his full quota of overs in every game this IPL season for Rajasthan Royals.
The experienced all-rounder delivered a strong performance to guide his side to a comfortable 40-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday. Addressing his role, Jadeja said he focuses solely on contributing in whatever way the team requires, rather than worrying about personal milestones.
“When I come to the ground, I leave my personal ego in the hotel room. I just think about contributing in whatever way the team wants from me,” he said.
Discussing his batting approach, Jadeja explained that he aimed to take the innings deep. “If I had gotten out in the 17th or 18th over playing a wrong shot, we might not have reached 159 and could have fallen short by 20-25 runs,” he said. Jadeja scored 43 off 29 balls and also claimed 1 for 29 in his four overs, playing a key role in the win.
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He added that in T20 cricket, adaptability is crucial. “Every pitch, condition, and match situation is different. If the team feels I have a negative match-up against a batter, I understand that. It may work or not—that’s part of the game.”
Jadeja remained unbeaten while stabilising the innings on a challenging surface at the Ekana Stadium, where LSG’s pacers exploited bounce and seam movement. Reflecting on the conditions, he noted that batting wasn’t easy against a disciplined pace attack.
“We kept losing wickets and couldn’t build partnerships, so Donovan and I decided to take it deep. But in T20s, you still have to take calculated risks to reach a competitive total,” he said, referring to his stand with a teammate.
He also revealed his tactical thinking late in the innings, anticipating that Mayank Yadav might bowl the final over. “I wanted to use his pace, especially with a shorter leg-side boundary and fielders up. He bowled mostly short, with one full delivery as a surprise, but I managed to get a boundary off that too,” Jadeja said. The late surge helped Rajasthan post a defendable total, boosting the bowlers’ confidence. This result marked Lucknow Super Giants’ fourth consecutive loss, while Rajasthan Royals returned to winning ways.
Speaking about his bowling, Jadeja said he intentionally varied his pace after noticing the pitch behaviour while batting against Digvesh Rathi. “Some balls were holding up in the surface, so I felt slower deliveries could be effective. I didn’t want to offer pace to hitters like Mitchell Marsh or Nicholas Pooran, as they are known for big shots,” he explained.
Meanwhile, former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar criticised LSG captain Rishabh Pant for his approach at the crease after he was dismissed for a duck by Nandre Burger.
“It didn’t look right—the shots he played early in his innings,” Bangar said. “In his first three balls, he tried to swing across the line each time. For a top-order batter with his experience, that’s something he would be very disappointed about.”
Bangar added that Pant’s body language reflected his frustration and suggested that with greater clarity in his early approach, he could produce much better results.
