India v Sri Lanka: Ravindra Jadeja and Irfan Pathan were locked in social media banter as the former Pacer praised the all-rounder’s match-winning shot in the 2nd T20I in Dharamsala.
Ravindra Jadeja lit up Dharamsala with his punch on Saturday (AP Photo)
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja were engaged in a hilarious banter on social media ahead of the 3rd T20I between India and Sri Lanka on Sunday in Dharamsala. While Pathan joked about Jadeja’s vision as the all-rounder spoke at Saturday’s press conference.
Irfan Pathan took to social media and said Jadeja is likely to need eye drops after the all-rounder blinked too much while addressing reporters in Dharamsala.
Jadeja took time to reply to the comment and said that he first wore lenses when he played the 2nd T20I against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala.
Praising the all-rounder’s performance in India’s 7-wicket win, Pathan said it appeared Jadeja was using binoculars instead of lenses and spotting the ball more clearly than most batsmen in the 2nd T20I.
Baapu needs eye drops.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 27, 2022
Jevi rite beating chale che laage che ke binoculars pehrya che 😉 lage raho baapu.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 27, 2022
Remarkably, Jadeja smashed 47 not outs in just 19 balls as India chased a 184-run goal in just 17.1 overs. Jadeja hit 5 sixes and 2 boundaries as he burst into the Sri Lankan striking unit on Saturday. Earlier in the day, Shreyas Iyer hit 74 balls from just 44 while Sanju Samson hit 39 balls from 25 as India pulled off an easy game with a seemingly steep goal.
Ahead of the 3rd T20I, Jadeja said it felt good to be able to use the racquet to help the team win after returning from a long break due to injury.
Jadeja missed India’s South Africa tour and home series against the West Indies while working on his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
“I enjoyed playing after two months, nice to be back in blue and playing for India. I have to be ready to hit anywhere they (the team management) want me to hit, hit some runs and win games for the team. It takes time (to get into the rhythm) but I trained at the NCA in Bengaluru and had a couple of good sessions with racquet and ball.
“I was mentally ready for this series, knowing I had to make runs and take wickets and I was ready for it. The trainers in NCA helped me a lot, it gave me a lot of confidence,” said Jadeja.
