Jadeja surpasses Shivam Dube at position four: After LSG’s defeat, CSK captain Ruturaj defends the call

After his team’s last-over defeat to LSG in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on April 23, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad justified the decision to allow Ravindra Jadeja bat higher in the order than in-form Shivam Dube. At Chepauk, CSK was forced to bat first and lost two early wickets to Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell. Jadeja then took the crease at number four. The reigning champions did not, however, receive the anticipated result from the move, as Jadeja could only muster 16 (19) before being removed by LSG’s Mohsin Khan.

Arriving at number five, Dube continued his blazing run in the 2024 Indian Premier League with a 66 (27) innings, supporting an equally impressive Gaikwad, who went undefeated at 108 (60).

Jadeja has only scored 154 runs in his six innings of play in the IPL 2024 for CSK, far from his typical big-hitting prowess. Sending Dube to bat felt like the better course of action given the circumstances, especially because there weren’t enough runs scored and both Rahane and Mitchell were out of the powerplay. Jadeja’s batting stance was criticized, but it was overshadowed by the vital 104-run partnership between Dube and Gaikwad, which enabled CSK to end at 210/4. But Marcus Stoinis’ outstanding batting, which included an undefeated 123 (63) knock, allowed LSG to defeat CSK by 6 wickets in Chepauk.

Ruturaj gave an explanation of the decision to choose Jadeja over Dube at the post-match press conference, citing their team’s goals for the current tournament season.