Ravindra Jadeja bowled superbly in the Champions Trophy final and also hit the winning runs. Moreover, Virat Kohli hugged him after the completion of his 10-over spell that sparked the rumours of his retirement from ODI cricket.
India cricketer Ravindra Jadeja has indirectly confirmed that he is not retiring from ODIs any time soon. He was the one who hit the winning runs as India won the Champions Trophy on Sunday (March 9), beating New Zealand by four wickets in the final. They successfully chased down the 252-run target with an over to spare to lift the trophy for the third time in history.
However, after the final, many reckoned that the likes of Rohit Sharma and Jadeja would announce their retirement from the format. While the Indian skipper confirmed in the post-match press conference that he is not going anywhere, Jadeja took to his Instagram story to indirectly make it clear that he is not retiring as well. ‘No Unnecessary rumours. Thanks,” Jadeja wrote on Instagram to quash the retirement rumours entirely.
Interestingly, Jadeja’s retirement news started doing the rounds when Virat Kohli hugged him after he completed his 10-over spell in the final against New Zealand. He conceded only 30 runs in 10 overs and picked up a wicket of Tom Latham in the summit clash. Moreover, when he got the chance to hit the winning runs, many thought it was the ‘written in the stars’ moment for Jadeja in his final ODI.
However, at no point even after the match, Jadeja or any other player in the Indian team hinted that it was the all-rounder’s last game. Instead, all the players were busy celebrating their triumph in the Champions Trophy.
“My batting number is such that I’m either a hero or a zero at the end of the game. Luckily KL and Hardik did well in that partnership, them scoring runs was a game-changing moment. The wicket wasn’t easy going into batting at first. It’s an important tournament; playing for India and winning the Champions Trophy for the country is big.
“You do regret when you don’t be part of winning teams after having played for so many years. But I’m lucky that I’ve managed to be fit enough and performed at the highest level in winning the two tournaments, the 2024 T20 WC and the Champions Trophy now,” Jadeja said after the match.
