Stephen Fleming praised Ravindra Jadeja’s effort that helped Chennai Super Kings win their fifth IPL trophy on Sunday.
With 13 needed to win in the final over against Gujarat Titans, CSK managed only three runs off the first four balls before Jadeja smashed Mohit Sharma for a six and a four off the last two deliveries to literally snatch the Cup from Gujarat’s grasp.
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“They say there are no fairy tales in the sport, but it was a pretty good one today. It has been a bit difficult 18 months where, as the captaincy was difficult, the injury was difficult, it took a bit of time from out of the game for him to come back into and be reintegrated into the Test side, and then re-integrate into CSK,” Fleming said in his post match press conference.
“We have lost finals on the last ball which is an absolute heartache. I was gearing up myself for another heartache when Jaddu hit one for six and there could have been more heartache or more joy, I was not sure.
“But when I saw the ball go down, finally there was pure joy. This competition takes you to emotional levels that you cannot imagine,” he added.
“He plays a great role with the ball, but we have got so much fire power, that some ways we use him down the order, but something has to give. MS (Dhoni) has been very supportive and proactive in getting him up there and today he repaid that faith,” Fleming added.
Analysing Jadeja’s gameplay, he said, “The six, I think, in particular of the ball which was pretty close to being perfect, was defining, and then left-handed drive to the fine leg. It was a great way to finish it. I couldn’t be more happy for him. There has been some frustration at times, but he is our gun player, he is a No 1 ranked player and today he delivered.”