In Mohali, against Sri Lanka, ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja became the first male cricketer to score 150 plus runs and pick 9 wickets in a Test match. Jadeja, who smashed 175 not out in India’s only innings, was named the player of the match.
The all-rounder, an important part of the Indian set-up, is also one of three players to have scored more than 2000 runs averaging 30 or more and picked than 200 Test wickets with an average below 25. The others on that list are former Pakistan captain Imran Khan and former South African skipper Shaun Pollock.
At Mohali, Jadeja had pretty much the perfect game, and he had a chance to get his double hundred too, however, pressed for the declaration, to put more pressure on the Sri Lankans. In fact, in 2018, in Cricinfo’s series of 25 questions, Jadeja had said that a century and a five-wicket haul in the same innings would be his dream record. Just before the pandemic set in, in October 2019, Jadeja became the quickest left-arm bowler to reach 200 Test wickets.
In just under 10 years of playing Test cricket, Jadeja has gone from being tentative to terrifying, as teams across the globe continue to struggle to thwart him, whether with the bat or ball.
Here’s a look at Ravindra Jadeja’s top performances in Test cricket.
Delhi vs Australia in 2013
Young in the Test arena and international cricket, Jadeja produced a fantastic performance in the national capital in only his fifth game, as India won easily, again. Jadeja also bagged his first player of the match award in the longest format.
In the first innings, Jadeja dismissed the duo of Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell before they were able to cause much trouble, and then produced a gritty innings of 43, while the lower struggled to get going. His best was yet to come in the game, as he dismantled the Australian top order, removing three of the first five wickets. David Warner and Maxwell were among his wickets.
The spinner would then come back for round 2 in the innings as he accounted for the big wicket of Steve Smith and then completed his five-wicket haul with the scalp of Mitchell Johnson.
Mohali vs South Africa in 2015
Jadeja had been dropped from the Indian team after a poor run of form and he went back to domestic cricket to set things right. Back in the team on the back of some good form in domestic cricket, Jadeja produced a player of the match performance as India, unsurprisingly, romped home.
A 38-run knock in the first innings was followed up by three big wickets, including that of Faf du Plessis. Jadeja did not do much with the bat in the second innings, however, he caused havoc when the Proteas came out to bat. Handed the new ball along R Ashwin in tough batting conditions, Jadeja picked a five-wicket haul and dealt the visitors a knockout blow.
Ravindra Jadeja in celebratory mood
Image: BCCI
Chennai vs England in 2016
India were well into the Virat Kohli era of captaincy in Test cricket and the visiting English, weren’t doing too badly themselves, with Sir Alastair Cook leading the line. It was in Chennai, the fifth Test of the series, and Jadeja had turned on the style, especially in the second innings.
With the bat, Jadeja scored a very handy half-century as Karun Nair scored a triple century. In the first England innings, Jadeja removed, Cook, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow as England lost some of the momentum. The left arm spinner would then go on to do more damage on a turning track in the second innings, as he ran through the English line-up to set up a comfortable win eventually. India won by an innings and 75 runs, as Jadeja picked 7 wickets – Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes were among the spinner’s victims.
Dharamshala vs Australia in 2017
Ajinkya Rahane’s first Test as captain, and at a time when the Australians were in superb form, led by Steve Smith. It was a low scoring contest that was owned by Jadeja, who also finished as the player of the series with 25 wickets in 4 games.
India had three spinners on show with Jadeja, Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav. In the first innings, with the ball, Jadeja picked the wicket of Matthew Wade before going on to score 63 very important runs. Jadeja top scored for India in that innings and then came back to pick three wickets in the second innings, controlling proceedings with a spell of 3/24 to clinch the game.
Ravindra Jadeja celebrates a wicket
Image: BCCI
Pune vs South Africa in 2019
While it was a double century from Virat Kohli that stole the show, Jadeja too had played an important role in the win against the Proteas, striking telling blows with the ball in the second innings, apart from playing a good supporting hand along with the skipper.
The visitors were having a tough time in India, and Jadeja’s 91 in the first innings only added to their problems. If that wasn’t enough, the all-rounder was crucial in breaking the resistance in the second innings as well. Just as Temba Bavuma was dropping anchor, Jadeja sent him packing and Quinton de Kock’s scalp followed soon after. Jadeja accounted for Keshav Maharaj after that as India won at a canter, further emphasising how tough it is play them in their own backyard.
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