'He's not that reckless kid anymore' - Dinesh Karthik backs Ravindra Jadeja to solve India's middle-order woes

Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik has voted for Ravindra Jadeja to play the reliable all-rounder role that the country felt short of in the recently-concluded ODI series against South Africa. The left-hander has been stacking up the runs in the middle order and has played the finisher role to perfection in the last few years in the international circuit. In fact, Jadeja has been sent up the order in IPL by Chennai Super Kings a number of times and he has repaid the faith as well.

India tried out Venkatesh Iyer at No.6 for the all-rounder role against South Africa but his inexperience in international cricket had more of a say and has been dropped from the ODI squad for the upcoming home series against West Indies. Jadeja was not picked in the limited-overs squad for the West Indies series owing to his recovery from his knee injury while Deepak Hooda has been called up to the Indian side.

Jadeja is not that reckless kid anymore: Dinesh Karthik

Karthik mentioned that Jadeja has matured well enough as a batter and is ready to play at No.6 for India which might actually prove as a blessing in disguise. He added that the 33-year-old can be a match-winner in limited-overs cricket and revealed that batting has been the best potent weapon for Jadeja out of the three departments he can contribute towards while being in the side.

“Jadeja is ready to bat at No.6. In fact, he is batting so well that he can play at No.5 as well. He is using his brain and is not that reckless kid anymore,” Karthik told Cricbuzz in a chat after the South Africa series. “He is someone who is winning games with the bat. In fact, in white-ball cricket, his stronger suit is his batting,”

Hardik Pandya is another option that India would like to bring back in once he recovers completely from his back issues. The all-rounder was last seen in the T20 World Cup 2021 and he is expected to give balance to the side once he returns to his bowling strides.