Ravindra Jadeja’s rise in international cricket is nothing less than phenomenal. As the late Shane Warne used to say Ravindra Jadeja is a rockstar and with his performances in the last 3-4 years the all-rounder is proving why he is one of the most indispensable cricketers of the Indian team.
Ravindra Jadeja is the most talked-about cricketer in the recent past and his performances are the reason why he is being praised by everyone in the cricketing world. The left-handed batter who is widely recognised as more of a left-arm spinner is steadily changing the opinion of many. Ravindra Jadeja’s mammoth unbeaten knock of 175 against Sri Lanka in Mohali speaks volumes about how well he has been doing with the bat.
The innings that he played at the PCA stadium in Mohali is something that has not happened overnight. Ravindra Jadeja’s career was in decline after the disastrous run-out that happened in the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan in England. Hardik Pandya was on song and hitting the Pakistani bowlers all around the ground and a bad call for a run by Ravindra Jadeja resulted in his run out and India lost the match.
Following this, the Saurashtra cricketer was dropped from all formats and it seemed like his career for India was done and dusted. But, it was not to be as he got recalled for India’s tour of England in 2018.
In the fifth and the final Test match of the series, Ravindra Jadeja scored a career reviving 86 from 156 balls which helped him regain his lost confidence as well as the team management’s confidence. From thereon the all-rounder has never looked back and has been almost an automatic pick in all three formats.
So, the knock that he played against Sri Lanka is not a fluke or happened overnight. He has worked hard and has done well with both bat and ball in countries like Australia and England.
Since MS Dhoni‘s departure, India has been in search of a finisher. Hardik Pandya was being looked at for that position but with his fitness issues and the inability to bowl he may not be an automatic choice in Rohit Sharma‘s tenure as captain.
The way Ravindra Jadeja has batted lower down the order across formats shows how he has matured over the last few years. The left-handed batter has more often than not played according to the situation. He has sometimes curbed his instincts to hit the bowlers over the ropes to avoid any risks. This understanding of his own abilities and reading the game so much better is what makes him a legend and an all-rounder like no other in Indian cricket.
Jadeja’s bowling abilities cannot be forgotten as he has picked wickets in every format of the game and many times at crucial moments. He may have been under Ravichandran Ashwin‘s shadow in Test cricket but he still is one of the best spinners that India has ever produced.
Last but maybe the most important is his fielding. In world cricket, Ravindra Jadeja will always be remembered for being one of the finest fielders in world cricket. Not many batters dare to take a couple of runs when the ball goes towards the rockstar.
As Ravindra Jadeja continues to grow as a cricketer fans will hope that he can replicate or do even better than what MS Dhoni did in crunch games in the coming years.
