“I Think It’s A Team Game”: India Coach’s Sharp Retort To Question On Ravindra Jadeja’s Form

India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey opened up on all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s poor performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 and said that it is a ‘team game’ one cannot expect all the players to come into form at once. In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, Jadeja has given a sloppy performance with both bat and ball. In India’s first two matches of the tournament against Ireland and Pakistan, the 35-year-old failed to pick up wickets or deliver with bat.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Mhambrey said that he is happy that Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathour are having conversations with Jadeja to motivate him.

“I think it’s a team game, right? It’s going to be 11 guys. You really don’t expect all of them coming into form. It’s going to be performed every game that will happen. For me, I personally feel whatever conversations Rahul and Vicky are having around, I’ve been pretty happy with it. And you expect a one-odd game out there,” Mhambrey said.

The bowling coach added that it’s a long tournament and experienced player Jadeja needs just one game to get his form back. He also pointed out that it’s not just Jadeja who’s out of form but Shivam Dube and others are also struggling.

“It’s a long tournament. I think…someone like Jadeja, who’s so vastly experienced, he just needs a game out there to just get his roots around and feel around. And we know that the skills that he has and the experience, he’s going to go ahead and he’s going to win your games. So that confidence we have in not only Jadeja but honestly with someone like Dube and others as well,” he added.

He further said it’s important for the team to back the players, especially in a tournament like T20 World Cup.

“You can have one odd game and people will have conversations saying you are given a game, and you’re going to have one bad game. That’s fine, but the team will back you. And that’s what is important in a tournament like this,” he added.

India will take on the US in their upcoming match of the ongoing marquee event at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (Wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

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