Ravindra Jadeja: India’s stealth warrior

PTI, Sep 23, 2024, 4:22 PM IST

Ravindra Jadeja (credit: PTI / File)

Chennai: Unless you’re a freak like Jasprit Bumrah, bowlers playing alongside Ravichandran Ashwin can be pushed behind the giant-shadow of the master off-spinner, even if it’s Ravindra Jadeja, a genius in his own right.

Sometime during the Kanpur Test later this week, Jadeja, now standing at 299 wickets and 3122 runs, will join an elite club of cricketers to have achieved the grand double of 300 wickets and 3000 runs in the longest format.

Bear it in mind, only 10 players, including two from India in Ashwin and Kapil Dev, have achieved this mark in the history of cricket and some luminaries such as Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis are missing from that list too.

But still Jadeja’s name hardly ever get mentioned in the same breath as some of the aforesaid all-rounders.

In one way, the modus operandi of Jadeja is the primary reason for it. Ashwin is eloquent and is not afraid to talk about his skills in a press meet or in his YouTube channel.

Jadeja does neither. He is quite happy to operate under the radar – like a stealth fighter jet.

But put him into a situation that demands a bail-out operation, Jadeja’s fighting instincts instantly come forth.

In that way, he is very task-oriented. Take the case of the first Test against Bangladesh here, which India won by a whopping 280 runs.

From 144 for six, Jadeja and Ashwin took India to 376 all out with a 199-run stand for the seventh wicket. Jadeja made 86, but the talk centred around Ashwin’s home hundred.

Jadeja took five wickets in the match, but Ashwin ‘out-bowled’ him with six-wicket haul in the second innings.

There was a huge amount of talk about how Ashwin used the angles to set up veteran Bangladesh left-hander Shakib Al Hasan.

However, there was hardly any mention about Jadeja dragging Litton Das through hell during his 10-ball stay before eventually snaring him.

Jadeja is an artist whose strength lies not in his artistry but in his competitive spirit.

But unfortunately, once again Jadeja’ valuable all-round effort ended up as a footnote, visible only to a discerning observer.

Ashwin was quick to acknowledge the significance of having Jadeja at the other end.

“He’s been a very inspirational story. Sometimes, when you’re in the race along with your co-cricketers, you want to get ahead of one another. And then you slowly start admiring one another.

“Now, that admiration has gone one step higher, knowing that I can never beat Jadeja. So, I’m comfortable in my skin, but totally inspired by what he’s done,” Ashwin had said after the first Test.

Since forming a pair in 2012, they have played 45 Tests together at home, winning 34, losing three and drawing the remaining eight.

In those 45 matches, Jadeja has taken 218 wickets while the senior partner took home 263 wickets.

“It can be safely said that, they feed on each other’s presence. I would say Ashwin has benefitted slightly more by the presence of Jadeja, because he hardly gives anything to batsmen. Even on flat wickets, batters struggle against him because of his control.

“So, at times, they are forced to take risks against Ashwin or other bowlers. But who are those other bowlers – Bumrah and Shami. So, for visiting batters it is a really no-hope situation, the pressure is continuous on them,” a former India left-arm spinner told PTI.

“He is quite selfless too in what he does. He hardly gives big interviews or tussle for any positions. I don’t even know whether he likes all the hype around. He seems a contended person, happy in just contributing to the team,” he added.

Check this image. The Chepauk Test was done and dusted. Celebrations were on. Some players were giving the obligatory bytes to the host broadcaster.

But Jadeja, after a few customary hugs and handshakes, stood near the boundary line, tossing a red-ball and gazing intensely at the ground from under his floppy hat.

Perhaps, the strategies for the second Test, beginning of September 27, were already brewing in his mind.

Jadeja will be soon 35, and is ever closer to the end of his career. Let’s give a louder round of applause to him.