NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings' dynamic all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja etched his name in Indian Premier League history books by becoming the first player to achieve a unique triple milestone during their convincing seven-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.
In the match, Jadeja not only contributed with the ball by claiming three crucial wickets in his first eight deliveries but also showcased his prowess in the field by taking two catches.
With this, Jadeja reached the milestone of 100 catches in the IPL, becoming the first player to achieve the remarkable feat of at least 100 catches, 1,000 runs, and 100 wickets in the tournament.
Jadeja's exceptional all-round performance earned him the well-deserved Player of the Match award.
With 156 wickets and 2,776 runs under his belt in the IPL, the 35-year-old has established himself as one of the most valuable assets in the league.
His achievement also puts him in elite company, joining the likes of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Kieron Pollard, and Rohit Sharma for the most catches by a fielder in the IPL.
Speaking about his milestone during the mid-innings break, Jadeja humbly stated, "I don't count my catches."
However, after the match, he expressed his enjoyment of bowling at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, emphasizing the importance of bowling in good areas.
"My plan was just to bowl in good areas. I have practiced a lot here and if you bowl in good areas it will definitely assist you," Jadeja remarked.
Chennai Super Kings, who entered the match after facing consecutive losses, have now climbed to fourth place in the IPL standings with three wins from five games.
1/10:Jadeja helps Chennai Super Kings end Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL winning run
PTI
2/10:Jadeja's bowling masterclass
Ravindra Jadeja, who returned with figures of 3-18, led Chennai Super Kings' bowling charge to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 137/9, a total the home team overhauled with 14 balls to spare.PTI
3/10:Gaikwad's captaincy brilliance
Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad led the chase with an unbeaten 67 and a 70-run second-wicket partnership with Daryl Mitchell, who made 25, to make Chennai bounce back from two losses.PTI
4/10:Gaikwad praises Jadeja
"Jaddu (Jadeja) always comes in after the power play with momentum in the spin department," Gaikwad said of his man of the match performer.ANI
5/10:Dube's quickfire knock
Shivam Dube hit 28 off 18 balls before departing with Chennai needing three for victory and the crowd erupted at the sight of Dhoni walking out to bat.PTI
6/10:KKR's early struggles
Kolkata had a horror start to their innings after they lost England's Phil Salt on the first ball off fast bowler Tushar Dehspande.AP
7/10:Jadeja's spin magic
Jadeja remained the hero as he struck on the first ball of his opening over and sent back the in-form Sunil Narine (27) four balls later to put KKR in trouble at 60/3 inside seven overs.PTI
8/10:Iyer's fighting knock
KKR's innings never took off with skipper Shreyas Iyer adding some respect with his 34 in 32 balls.PTI
9/10:CSK's bowling dominance
Deshpande claimed three wickets and Bangladesh left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman took two for Chennai.ANI
10/10:Kolkata's learning curve
"We have to go back to our drawing board and learn, just a matter of one match and one innings, glad it happened at the start of the tournament," said Iyer.AP(With inputs from Reuters)
