In a high-stakes IPL 2025 encounter at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, Rajasthan Royals outclassed Lucknow Super Giants by 40 runs. The spotlight fell on Ravindra Jadeja, whose gritty batting and cunning spin sealed the deal for RR.
Speaking exclusively after the match on JioHotstar with Sanjay Bangar, Jadeja dissected the batting battle. ‘It was far from easy holding the bat there. LSG’s quicks were on point, exploiting the bouncy red soil with seam movement. We were losing wickets rapidly, no steady stands in sight. So, Donovan and I planned to prolong the innings. T20 survival means risking smartly, but his wicket hurt at a bad time. I played by the overs clock.’
His death-over drama was a highlight. ‘Anticipated Mayank Yadav’s final over. Aimed to capitalize on his speed—short boundary leg-side, fielders back. He bowled three shorts, then a sneaky full ball. Got a lucky boundary. Those 20 runs were gold; they fired up our bowlers with a buffer.’
Jadeja adapted brilliantly to Ekana’s spin-friendly nature. ‘Rathi’s balls were halting on the pitch. Realized slower deliveries could deceive here. Kept pace away from power-hitters Marsh and Pooran—they thrive on speed. Mixed it up for variety.’
Reflecting on prior games where he didn’t finish his quota, he said, ‘Ego stays back at the hotel. I’m all about team contribution. Batting deep got us to 159; a rash shot later would’ve cost 20-25 runs, easy chase for LSG. Every T20 pitch demands flexibility. Unfavorable matchups? Understood—game’s unpredictability.’
With 43* off 29 and Pooran’s scalp for 1/29 in four overs, Jadeja’s Player of the Match display propelled RR to victory, proving his unmatched value.
