Danish Kaneria predicts Ravindra Jadeja as India’s most valuable performer in the WTC final

Danish Kaneria, the former Pakistan cricketer, has picked Ravindra Jadeja as Team India’s most valuable player ahead of the World Test Championship final. The veteran reckoned that Jadeja is a “triple-dimensional player” and shouldn’t be left out from the match by any means.

In 10 games in the WTC, the 32-year-old Jadeja has notched 469 runs and picked up 28 wickets. Though he’s had his fair share of injuries in the recent past, he has remained a key member of the national team across three formats.

Kaneria feels that the ability to score quick runs, picking up wickets at key moments, and effecting run-outs with his pin-point accuracy makes him an asset for Team India.

Kaneria heaps praise on Ravindra Jadeja  

“Because I think that bowlers play a very important role, irrespective of what format you’re playing. If they’re taking wickets, they’ll win the match. If we talk about Ravindra Jadeja, he is a triple-dimensional player. He is such a player that you just can’t keep him out, he simply has to play,” Kaneria was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.

“He will give you key wickets in key intervals. He will give your runs lower down the order, stitch partnerships, and will even affect a couple of brilliant run-outs while fielding. So, he is going to be the most valuable player in the final for India,” he added.

In England, Jadeja has taken part in five Test matches thus far where he has scored 276 runs with two half-centuries to show for his efforts. In those games, he also picked up 15 wickets. In India’s tour of England in 2018, Jadeja played only one Test and got a score of an unbeaten 86.

Overall in 51 Tests since his debut in 2012, Jadeja has picked up 220 wickets and scored 1954 runs. Combining all three formats of international cricket, the all-rounder racked up 447 wickets and scored 4582 runs.

India have announced a 20-member squad for the WTC final and the five-match Test series against England. Their WTC final match is against New Zealand, starting on June 18 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.