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When a shy, reticent boy emerged on the international cricket scene from Jamnagar, the land of Ranji and Duleep, little did anybody realise how far he would travel and how much success and popularity he would garner. He has had his ups and downs, but has always stayed positive and returned stronger. His effervescent character earned him the nickname, Sir Jadeja. That’s how he’s known on social media.
No. 11 Ahmed, a special scalp
When Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Bangladesh No. 11 Khaled Ahmed on the fourth day of the second Test here yesterday, he was ecstatic. Instead of a ball if he had a bat in his hands, he would have celebrated in his traditional way by swinging the willow like a sword. Usually getting the last man out isn’t a big deal, but this wicket was special as it brought up his 300th Test wicket. With this achievement, he became only the third Indian and 11th player in the world to complete the rare double of 3,000-plus runs and 300 wickets in Test cricket. He is the second fastest to the landmark, in his 74th Test, only two games more than the great all-rounder, Ian Botham. The other two Indians are Kapil Dev (83 Tests) and Ravichandran Ashwin (88). Jadeja also became the seventh Indian bowler to reach the 300-wicket landmark, and the only left-arm spinner to do so, leaving behind the likes of Bishan Bedi and Dilip Doshi.
It is said that bowlers hunt in pairs, and Jadeja’s partner in crime has been Ashwin. Time and again the two have formed a formidable pair to bring glory to Indian cricket on many occasions, especially on home soil. As we saw in the previous Test in Chennai, the duo first batted gallantly to bail out the floundering Indian innings by putting on a massive 199-run partnership and then collected nine of the 10 wickets in the second innings to help India record a massive 280-run win. The two have been involved in many such famous victories. The duo have become India’s most successful Test bowling pair with over 550 wickets in tandem from 55 matches together. Besides, featuring in 74 Tests, Jadeja has been part of 46 wins — the seventh-most among Indians. Jadeja is the only player in the world to record 2,000 runs and 200 wickets in a Test match-winning cause, a feat that even greats like Gary Sobers, Jacques Kallis, Botham, Kapil and Imran Khan have not achieved.
Also Read: India go bang, bang!
Humble beginnings
Jadeja first gained prominence as the vice-captain of the Indian U-19 team that won the World Cup in Malaysia in 2008, under the captaincy of former India captain Virat Kohli. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in February 2009 and scored an unbeaten 60 off 77 balls. However, his Test debut came almost four years later, in December 2012, against England at Nagpur. Though it took him some time to make his Test debut, in a journey of 14 years he has scaled many a peak and would like to attain a few more landmarks before he finally calls it a day.
Jadeja cherishes ‘special’ feat
Ravindra Jadeja could not hide his delight after reaching the milestone of 300 wickets in Test cricket, expressing that the moment “will forever remain” with him. Jadeja became the seventh Indian bowler to reach the coveted mark. “It’s special when you achieve something for India. I’ve been playing Tests for 10 years and finally I’ve reached this milestone. I’ve done well and I’m proud of myself, and feeling happy and good,” Jadeja said.
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