Rajkot: Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja bowled a brilliant spell as India bundled out Australia on 199 runs in Sunday's World Cup opener game for both teams. Jadeja was clinical and made full use of the turning pitch claiming three important wickets and setting the tone in India's favour.
ETV Bharat spoke to Ravindra Jadeja's elder sister Nayanaba Jadeja on Monday to know the hopes and wishes of the star player's family for this World Cup. Nayanaba, who follows cricket avidly, said she had already predicted her brother would perform well during Sunday's game. She, like millions of other Indians, hopes India wins the coveted trophy.
"The Indian team has started on a winning note and I hope they'll end up winning the World Cup 2023. In yesterday's match, initially, I felt that it would be difficult for India to win but the team was determined till the end and eventually won the match," she told ETV Bharat in an exclusive chat in Rajkot.
"Yesterday's match was quite interesting and Ravindra performed well grabbing three wickets. We are overwhelmed with his performance. We are looking forward to seeing his best performances in the coming matches as well. During the matches, the player's family members' emotions are connected with the player but we also know that millions of fans are praying for the player."
Speaking on how she feels when she watches his brother playing, Nayanaba said: "As a family, we also feel some pressure whenever he plays. I predict his stats after the innings like how many wickets he will take or how many runs he will score. For example, yesterday there was some help from the pitch for spinners and I thought he would pick at least 3-4 wickets on that pitch and he eventually did that. Especially, the wicket of Steve Smith was pretty crucial in the context of the match, which was also the turning point of the game."
In context to the much-hyped India-Pakistan match, Nayanaba Jadeja said, "This time the Indian cricket team seems in a different form. I strongly feel that India will win this contest as many cricket enthusiasts will be coming to Narendra Modi stadium to cheer for the Indian Cricket team."
Further Nayanaba said that Navratri Festival and the World Cup both are clashing but for us, Navratri has a special importance. "We have done the Aradhana of Devi for years. Devi gives me double what I pray to her. My prayer to Devi Mata is for my brother's best performance and for India's victory in this World Cup 2023," she said.
Also read - Cricket World Cup: Pitch at Chepauk was Test match type track, says Ravindra Jadeja
