London: During the Edgbaston Test, Ravindra Jadeja was asked if he felt let down when selectors didn’t consider him for captaincy once other senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin had retired from the Test format. Jadeja smiled and replied, “Let that be. That ship has sailed.”
Having played 83 Tests, Ravindra Jadeja is the most experienced cricketer in the Indian team right now. He has mostly flown under the radar, but on Monday at Lord’s, Jadeja stood tall and produced the most defining performance of his career away from home.'
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! His unbeaten 61 off 181 balls is a knock that needs to be measured beyond the runs and time spent at the crease. It was about putting his hand up and announcing to the dressing room that he is in control.
Jadeja has looked different on this tour of England. For a long time, he has been the quintessential carefree and happy-go-lucky player in the team. On this tour, he has been an elder brother to the younger team members who are trying to establish their Test careers.
He comes early to practice sessions and goes through lengthier drills. That he has been at the ground, going through nets sessions, before the team’s arrival on important batting days talks about the drive left in him. He wants to be the statesman in the team.
Jadeja has also been working a lot with Kuldeep Yadav in the nets. The two have been hanging out together as well. Jadeja empathises with Kuldeep. “I have been in his position as well. I understand it can be difficult. But sometimes you try to balance the team in such a way that it doesn’t make space for everyone. But he is one kind of bowler who can help us take 20 wickets. I am sure if he gets an opportunity, he will be ready,” Jadeja had said at Edgbaston before quickly adding, “We don’t talk
cricket when we go out.”
Jadeja has had that kind of effect on the team. Captain Shubman Gill was effusive in his praise for Jadeja. “He is one of India’s most valuable players. The experience and the skill set that he brings with his bowling, batting and fielding makes him someone who is very rare and hard to find,” Gill remarked after the day’s play on Monday.
“It was just tremendous to watch the kind of composure he showed today. I think batting with the lower order and the tail has been one of the things that we spoke about in the previous two matches. The lower order and the tail haven’t been contributing as much. But the character and courage that they showed was tremendous,” Gill added.
Much has been spoken of Ben Stokes and his allround skills. On the final day of the third Test, Jadeja wasn’t going to let Stokes get away. There is a reason why Jadeja is at the top of the rankings as a Test allrounder. It required Jadeja’s stomach for a fight to withstand Stokes’ unrelenting spell of pace bowling.
Every time Jadeja is picked by selectors, the perception around him is that he is more of a utility player, especially on overseas tours. The team still describes him as someone who can chip in and strengthen the batting, besides holding an end up with the ball. On this tour, he has brought consistency with the bat as well. He has notched up four half centuries on the trot, with each one being of significance.
At 36, Jadeja may not have many years left in him. He keeps reminding the young boys around him in the team that he has retired from just one format. It could be that he has come out of the shadows of his contemporaries, who were bigger names. But he has certainly become the man in this team of boys. And he has done that with his usual smile and laughter.
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