Former India opener Wasim Jaffer praised Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his brilliant cameo in the 2nd T20I against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala on Saturday. Jadeja smashed an unbeaten 45 in 18 balls as India chased down 184 with seven wickets in hand and 17 balls to spare as well. He also featured in an unbroken 4th wicket stand of 58 in 4.1 overs with Shreyas Iyer (74* off 44).

Jadeja came into bat at No. 5, when India needed 56 runs to win off the last seven overs. Speaking about the all-rounder’s innings, Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo: “It was really nice to see Jadeja coming in at No. 5 and playing the kind of knock that he played. It was an outstanding innings. His 45 off 18 changed the course of the game. This batting line-up has so much firepower. Given the dimensions of the ground (in Dharamsala), 10-12 runs per over is not going to be too hard for this batting line-up.”

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Before Jadeja, Sanju Samson also played an important knock, scoring 39 in 25 balls. He hit Lahiru Kumara for a boundary and three sixes in an over before getting out off the last ball.

While speaking about the significance of Samson’s innings, Wasim Jaffer commented: “Sanju took his time early on because Shreyas was going great guns. He hasn’t got going in T20 internationals. He has obviously shown a lot of promise. So it was really good to see him play his free-flowing game. Hope to see him do that more often.”

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“Shreyas Iyer is in a very good space. Probably getting consecutive chances has helped his cause. Sometimes, in such a strong batting line-up, players don’t get consecutive chances. But when they do, it feels right and they can express themselves, which is what is happening with Shreyas,” Wasim Jaffer concluded.