Published: Sep 19, 2016, 08:00 AM (IST)
Edited: Sep 19, 2016, 08:53 AM (IST)
From being adored and celebrated to being ridiculed and laughed at, India’s ‘Rockstar’ Ravindra Jadeja has seen it all. Rockstar – not because of his awesome sunglasses and the ‘swag’ he carries, but because once Rajasthan Royal’s skipper Shane Warne had designated him with this name. Jadeja cannot be just limited to being smart with the ball; he is equally talented with bat. With those triple hundreds scored back home, he continues to remain one of the favourites as a batsman. Jadeja is often used as a mean to stop the runs, lure the batsman into making a mistake and those swash-buckling shots. Cricket fanatics would hardly find anyone criticising Jadeja with regards to the ball at home conditions. For instance, Ravichandran Ashwin has always been thought off as the best off-spinner in Indian conditions. But when he entered at No. 6 position in West Indies tour to bat, cricket experts were amused to find the night-watchman out too soon.
What the situation turned out to be was definitely not fathomed. India received the answer for the question they have been raising for years – an all-rounder lower down the order. When Ashwin saw his lows, Jadeja saw extreme highs in 2013-14. Be the six-for against South Africa in Durban or his breezy 57-ball 68 at Lord’s against England in 2014. He was ridiculed due to his shoulder injury, but the way he responded back in domestic arena, India had their answers clear and a spot fixed in Test squad against South Africa. Now with his inclusion in the 15-man squad for upcoming New Zealand Test series, it time for Jadeja to unleash those triple hundreds once again at home.
Ravindra Jadeja’s domestic graph:
Jadeja started off his journey in First-Class cricket playing for West Zone in Duleep Trophy 2006. It was not the ball but his bat that thumped his entry with his maiden fifty. In the same year he found his spot for Saurashtra Team in Ranji Trophy. His first game was against Andhra and did not prove to be influential as he remained wicketless and also scored just 9 in that game. But there was some magic in Rajkot. He was unlucky with the bat, but managed to get four wickets against Delhi in the next match. It escalated further and his hometown proved to be his lucky charm. In the match against Haryana, Jadeja not only got a fifer but was also the highest run scorer with 48 runs in the first innings. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs New Zealand, 1st Test at Kanpur
His dream run in Rajkot continued. However, Jadeja overcame the Rajkot run and proved his expertise in the next season of Ranji as he scored 87 off 165 deliveries that helped Saurasthra post 484 against Mumbai in Mumbai. Proving his worth with the bat, Jadeja was promoted as top-order batsman in the next season. This was the season when his bat hushed all the cricket expertise. His maiden double century in First-Class cricket was against Orissa in Rajkot.
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As this continued, he finally reached the elite group in 2012. When Jadeja began his Ranji 2012-13 season, he made an unbeaten 303 against Gujarat in Surat. His third one was in the same year against Railways in his favourite and now memorable venue, Rajkot. His first one was in 2011 against Orissa scoring 314. That made him the first Indian to score three triple-centuries in First-Class cricket and join the prestigious group of WG Grace, Bill Ponsford, Don Bradman, Wally Hammond, Graeme Hick, Brian Lara and Michael Hussey. Jadeja saw immense growth in First-Class cricket and there was nothing stopping him. He holds a tally of 3,941 runs at an average of 43.30.
As for the wickets, his name crops at the top of the mind after Ashwin. His recent fifer against India Red in Duleep Trophy final has surely made him proud with regards to bowling. His tally of 264 wickets in First-Class cricket is purely justified, but it is his batting that speaks volumes.
Could this be Ravindra Jadeja’s opportunity to shine?
After a quiet phase in 2015, Jadeja proved his mettle in Ranji Trophy and found his way back in Indian Test series squad against South Africa. With 215 runs and 38 wickets, a spot in the Test squad was very much on cards. That’s when Jadeja took the center stage and carried his domestic performances onto the next level where it was needed the most. Apart from the 115 runs he scored against Proteas batting in the middle-order, he took 25 wickets as well, second highest after Ashwin. Jadeja’s batting has been topsy-turvy since his entry in Test cricket, which is why the questions regarding his all-round skills are never ending.
With 495 runs in Test cricket out of 17 matches, Jadeja has just one fifty to his name and a proud one as that was earned in the Mecca of cricket, Lord’s. Since then Jadeja is still finding light at the end of the tunnel. Jadeja could not prove his mettle with the bat in the recent tour to the Caribbean. In contrast, he was useful with ball and got three wickets for the only Test he played.
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With the rise of Ashwin with his centuries and other batsmen like KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara doing their bit, Jadeja will need to create an impact through the upcoming New Zealand Test series. Amit Mishra also earned accolades through his fifty in the first Test against West Indies. With India in the hope of the return of their all-rounder, Jadeja can very well pounce on this opportunity with India having long grueling cricketing season.
For instance, if given a closer look at England’s Test batting line-up, it never ends. They all contribute in some way and then you have Moeen Ali, who has also come out in top-order and recently played at No. 7 position with 5 fifties to his name against Pakistan. If Jadeja performs in a similar fashion, India are in safe hands with regards to their batting.
All know Jadeja’s potential in Twenty20 (T20I) cricket. Every Jadeja fan is waiting for his maiden Test century apart from his bowling expertise. The all-rounder, who has had prefixes such as “Sir” assigned to him by fans in the past, want to see him live up to the tag. With Test cricket leading the path for Indian cricketers for another year, this will be Jadeja’s ticket to glory.
