Home Articles Not Kohli, Rohit or Bumrah! Danish Kaneria predicts India’s most valuable performer...
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Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah remain one of the most important performers for Team India across formats. While India have had many performers in the recent past, especially in the purest format of the game, it is tough to predict who will be that one stand out player for the Indian team when they lock horns with New Zealand in the much-awaited ICC World Test Championship final (WTC).
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India and New Zealand are set to lock horns in the summit clash of the inaugural WTC at The Rose Bowl, Southampton from June 18-22. Ahead of the marquee encounter, several former cricketers, experts and pundits of the game have come forward and made glaring predictions with regard to the finale.
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Pakistan’s tainted former spinner Danish Kaneria, too, joined the bandwagon and predicted India’s top performer in the WTC final. To pick one from the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Bumrah, R Ashwin, Kohli, etc. is surely tough, but Kaneria named all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
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“Because I think that bowlers play a very important role, irrespective of what format you’re playing. If they’re taking wickets, they’ll win the match. If we talk about Ravindra Jadeja, he is a triple-dimensional player. He is such a player that you just can’t keep him out, he simply has to play,” Kaneria was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.
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“He will give you key wickets in key intervals. He will give your runs lower down the order, stitch partnerships, and will even affect a couple of brilliant run-outs while fielding. So, he is going to be the most valuable player in the final for India,” he added.\
Jadeja has been India’s go-to-man across formats since 2016-17. The 32-year-old’s numbers speak for themselves, in whites, since 2017:
Batting
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Bowling
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11- 50s
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109 wickets
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1- 100s
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3 5-fers
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Thus, it will be interesting to see if Jadeja retains his form in the gruelling English conditions and guides India to the coveted WTC title.
Kohli-led India have already arrived in the United Kingdom for the WTC final, later this month, whereas they will also stay in England and Wales for a long period post the summit clash. India will then lock horns with Joe Root-led England for five Tests in the English summer, from August-September.
