Jadeja is the fastest learner in international cricket

Apart from the fact that both have twirling mustaches, everybody thought that Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja would be exposed in the Champions Trophy at England. But the manner in which the duo performed in the tournament not only made Dhoni’s job easier but also took India to the title.

In the latest edition of SportsTalk, veteran cricket writer Ayaz Memon, who is just back from England, spoke about India’s triumph and put the spotlight on Dhawan and Jadeja.

“Dhawan has a very flamboyant style of playing and everybody thought that he would be exposed in English conditions and they also thought that Jadeja was a bits-and-pieces player and he had gone beyond his talent; that he is acolyte of the captain and so he is surviving. But they have both proved a lot of people wrong,” said Ayaz.

“I spoke to both of them after the final and the one thing that came through was they knew everyone was writing them off. They were aware of it and they wanted to prove people wrong. Dhawan wants to make up for lost time – you couldn’t just drop Sehwag or Gambhir then, he was pretty much in the wilderness. But he has fought his way into the team,” Ayaz further added.

But Jadeja’s growth has been even more surprising.

“Jadeja is the fastest learner in international cricket. He has grown by leaps and bounds. His bowling especially has been impressive but his batting in crunch situations hasn’t been bad either. He has a good head and strong nerves and the backing of the captain.”

So can we expect more of this in the future? Or are these just flashes in the pan?

“Dhawan is obviously a very talented and a gifted batsman. And Jadeja as I mentioned is improving everyday. He is so sharp that he is developing nuances which are a given only to those who are born with it or can pick it up very quickly.”

You can watch the entire discussion between Ayaz Memon and Tariq Engineer in the video above.