'He Should’ve Played With A Strike Rate Of 80': Irfan Pathan Criticizes India All-Rounder's Performance After 2nd ODI Loss To NZ

Former Indian seamer Irfan Pathan criticised senior all-rounder after his performance in the 2nd IND vs NZ ODI, which the hosts lost. India had set a target of 284 runs in the first innings, which was successfully chased by the Kiwis, marking their first-highest successful chase against India on Indian home soil.

Irfan Pathan called out Ravindra Jadeja's approach with the bat in the 2nd ODI against the Kiwis. He shared that Jadeja should have played at a strike rate of 80 instead of 60 to set a bigger run chase for New Zealand. Notably, although both KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja maintained a good partnership of 73-runs, the latter consistently maintained a strike rate of 61.36, hitting just one boundary during his 44 deliveries.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul maintained a good strike rate throughout his innings and finished unbeaten at 118 runs. Irfan Pathan pointed out Jadeja's struggles with the bat and shared that the next match will be a crucial one for the player, as Axar Patel's continuous rise could become a threat to the senior player.

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Irfan Pathan Criticises Ravindra Jadeja For His ODI Struggles

The 41-year-old explained that Rajkot was Jadeja's homeground, thus he was expected to have a huge strike rate on this ground, as this was expected from an experienced all-rounder. However, instead, he failed to bring out his A game, which eventually cost India the 2nd ODI match against New Zealand.

While speaking on a recent video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Pathan shared, "Where did India lose the match? KL Rahul played with a strike rate of 90, but Ravindra Jadeja only maintained a strike rate of 60 during his innings of 27. Rajkot is also Jadeja’s home ground. If there is an all-rounder after Kapil Dev in Test cricket, it’s Jadeja. But when it comes to ODI cricket, Jadeja struggles in rotating the strike. He should’ve played with a strike rate of 80, and Jadeja couldn’t do it. Jadeja hasn’t scored a fifty in ODIs since 2020. He is under plenty of pressure."

He further added, "With the ball, Jadeja has managed only one wicket in the last five games at 200. These are poor numbers for any senior player. Axar Patel is no doubt ahead of him. Jadeja must perform in the next game, and it was a decisive factor in India’s defeat."

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Irfan Pathan Praises KL Rahul For His Batting Brilliance

The former seamer shared that no amount of praise for KL Rahul seems enough, and called him a versatile player in the modern cricket era. Notably, despite being an opener in the Test format, KL Rahul bats down the order in ODIs with zero difficulties.

KL Rahul had steered India from a tricky position in the 1st ODI match in Vadodara as his unbeaten 29 runs ensured that the hosts chased down 301 runs successfully after a mini-collapse.