Ravindra Jadeja, the Indian all-rounder says that the fifth Test against England in 2018 “changed everything” for him and gave him a lot of confidence, particularly as in those days he was struggling and wasn’t an automatic starter in all three formats for the Indian team.
Ravindra Jadeja, now an automatic choice in the Indian XI, scored a superb 86 not out off 156 balls while batting at No.8, as India chased England’s first-innings 332. India had lost six wickets for 160 and was in dire straits when he came to bat. Despite his knock, India conceded the first-innings lead and lost the match by 188 runs, and the five-Test series 1-4 to England. Ravindra Jadeja, however, emerged triumphantly.
Ravindra Jadeja: 2018 Test Against England Changed Performance And Confidence
This was the time when India played a lot of Tests on foreign soil where conditions don’t aid spin bowling that much, while in ODIs Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were preferred to the left-arm orthodox from Saurashtra.
“That Test changed everything for me, complete game — my performance, my confidence, everything. When you score in English conditions against the best bowling attack, it greatly impacts your confidence. It makes you feel your technique is good enough to score anywhere in the world,” he told The Indian Express.
“Later, Hardik Pandya got injured and I made my ODI comeback. From then on, my game has been going well, touchwood.”
India’s prominent contributor with bat and ball, Ravindra Jadeja suffered a dislocation in his left thumb in the 3rd Sydney Test versus Australia. The injury ruled him out from England series and the 4th Test against Australia. Notably, Ravindra Jadeja had earlier missed the T20I series with a concussion and a hamstring injury.
There were doubts over Ravindra Jadeja’s form at the start of IPL 2021, considering he was out of competitive action for more than 2 months after suffering a finger injury. The all-rounder has been in fine form for CSK in IPL 2021. The India all-rounder has hit 131 runs in 7 matches, averaging a staggering 131 and striking at close to 160. With the ball, he has picked up 6 wickets and has conceded at less than 7 runs per over before IPL was suspended.
Ravindra Jadeja Thought About How To Make A Comeback As He Wasn’t Getting Enough Opportunities To Prove Himself
Ravindra Jadeja recalled his ordeal when he was away from the Indian team, before that breakthrough knock at the Oval. The all-rounder is an automatic selection in all three formats of the game but things were not so glittery 2 years ago when he was finding it difficult to even sleep. In the Tests, Ravichandran Ashwin was playing ahead of him.
“Honestly, those one-and-a-half years were filled with sleepless nights. Through that phase, I remember I would be up till 4-5 am. I would be thinking about what to do, how am I going to bounce back? I couldn’t sleep. I would be lying down but would remain awake,” he said.
“I was in the Test squad but not playing as we played a lot overseas. I wasn’t playing ODIs. I wasn’t playing domestic too as I would be traveling with the Indian team though not playing. I wasn’t getting any opportunity to prove myself. I would keep thinking about how I am going to come back.”
Ravindra Jadeja, 32, is one of the best fielders in the world at present and, along with his left-arm spin, besides batting, provides flexibility to the Indian team. He has so far played 51 Tests, 168 ODIs, and 50 T20 Internationals.