All-star of the match
Before Saturday, Ravindra Jadeja had scored only 59 runs in nine matches in IPL 2018. He had three wickets at an economy rate of 8.55, and had bowled an average of two overs a game. With nine catches - the highest in this season among non-wicketkeepers - Jadeja only had some excellent fielding going for him. But when he dropped Kolkata Knight Riders' Sunil Narine off successive balls on Thursday, it raised questions about his role in the team. Jadeja became a target for trolls, again, as social media was flooded with jokes and GIFs.
In his next match, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Jadeja needed just one ball to respond. Brought in right after the Powerplay, he pegged back Virat Kohli's off stump with an arm ball. It was the moment that set up RCB for a collapse.
Harbhajan Singh then had AB de Villiers stumped next over, and Jadeja followed it up with a four-run over, as CSK strangled RCB further.
Jadeja would go on to bowl all his overs in a single spell. With flat trajectories, sharp and skiddy pace, and tight lines, Jadeja had RCB's batsmen playing for non-existent turn. Mandeep Singh misread his length, trying to sweep a delivery that wasn't full enough, and picked out deep backward square leg. In his last over, Jadeja tossed one up to Parthiv Patel, who had scored a fifty, and drew a leading edge that came straight back at him.
The wow moment
Jadeja's wicket of Kohli demonstrated just how accurate and ready he was. Bowling from around the stumps, Jadeja arrowed in an arm ball at the RCB captain's off stump. Kohli backed away and tried to force a cut, but was done in by pace and lack of turn. Sliding in with the angle, the ball snuck past Kohli's flashing bat and toppled his off stump.
Dismissing Kohli, you'd imagine, is an act that would enliven most bowlers. Jadeja, though, barely threw his hands up, and looked almost apologetically at his India captain.
The numbers
Jadeja's 3 for 18 was his first three-wicket haul in T20 cricket, in three years. The last came in 2015, when he claimed 4 for 11 against Rajasthan Royals.
What they said
"The wicket was a bit dry and I was just enjoying my bowling. It was my first ball, and I wasn't ready to celebrate. Virat is always a huge wicket. Having got a good wicket, I just wanted to keep the momentum on for my team."
Ravindra Jadeja