Jadeja’s recent form would have pleased captain Gill no end.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI
Saturday would have been bittersweet for Ravindra Jadeja. In the innings-and-140-run thrashing of the West Indies in the opening Test here, the 36-year-old won the Player-of-the-Match award for his unbeaten 104 and four for 54.
Yet, in the ODI selection meeting that preceded the close of the contest, Jadeja, who was part of the Champions Trophy-winning squad earlier in the year, was deemed surplus to requirements for India’s three-match tour of Australia later this month.
When Jadeja addressed the media after play, the cricketing world was yet to be told of the decision to bench him. But the all-rounder, who would have surely been informed by then, hid it remarkably well. This, in a nutshell, is Jadeja — a simple team man and a player for all seasons.
He may have retired from T20Is and passed over — at least for now — for the ODIs, but as he showed at the Narendra Modi Stadium, his stock has just kept growing in Tests.
Primarily a bowling all-rounder with 334 Test wickets, he has been in stellar batting form of late. In England this summer, as India drew an enthralling series 2-2, he scored 516 runs with one century and five half-centuries. Ahmedabad was a first-rate follow-up act.
“If you get the chance to bat up the order, you definitely bat with a different mindset,” said Jadeja, who has batted at No. 6 and 7 in recent times. “I’ve batted at No. 8 and 9 before, and you can end up playing a loose shot and getting out. But when it is No. 5 and 6, you are aware of the responsibility to build partnerships. That has definitely made a difference.”
Jadeja is now just 10 short of 4000 Test runs, and there is only one cricketer who has 5000 runs and 400 wickets — Kapil Dev.
“You’re putting pressure on me now,” Jadeja jokingly said when reminded of the stat. “I’ll have to start thinking about 1000 more runs and 60-70 wickets. [But] at this stage I’m enjoying my cricket and not thinking about records or milestones.”
Jadeja is now in his 17th year of international cricket and is the senior-most player in the Test set-up. He was asked by a journalist as to how he retained a youthful flair, and whether the secret was to manage one’s sleep cycle better, reduce intake of dairy products etc.
“No no, I keep it simple,” Jadeja said, and burst out laughing. “Sometimes I sleep for long, and when in a happy space, I might sleep less too. But when matches are approaching, I have a very good idea of what my body needs.”
Easier said than done, but that is quintessential Jadeja.
Published – October 05, 2025 06:34 pm IST
