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Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has said that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja could be India’s solution to middle-order crises following the whitewash against South Africa in the recently concluded ODI series. Jadeja has been a vital cog for the men in blue across formats. The all-rounder has been contributing with runs and wickets in critical situations for India.
"Jadeja is ready to bat at No.6. In fact, he is batting so well that he can play at No.5 as well. He is using his brain and is not that reckless kid anymore," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
"He is someone who is winning games with the bat. In fact, in white-ball cricket, his stronger suit is his batting," the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter added.
The all-rounder from Saurashtra showed what he is capable of in a swashbuckling innings at Manchester’s Old Trafford stadium against New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final in 2019. Even though India lost that game to the Kiwis, it was Jadeja’s fierce counter attack fueled by Sanjay Manjrekar's criticism that bought the men in blue back into the game after the Kiwi pacers blew the Indian top and middle-order.
The Indian all-rounder had suffered a right forearm injury during India's clash New Zealand in the first Test match at Kanpur. The Indian southpaw was also not named in India's white-ball squads for the upcoming series with the West Indies.
Dismal batting show in South Africa
India were also playing without Rohit Sharma, in his absence KL Rahul-led India and also opened the batting despite a successful record in the middle order.
India's vulnerable middle-order was exposed in the ODI series against South Africa. Stand-in skipper KL Rahul scored 76 runs whereas middle-order batter Iyer accumulated only 54 runs from three innings. India's designated wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant only crossed the 50-run mark once and followed it up with a first-ball duck to sign off from the series as India's third-highest run-getter.
