With the bat or the ball, the left-arm spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja had an excellent time during the first of a two-match Test series at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. But, there was a different anticipation in him as he finished the previous game with 299 wickets in the five-day format.
On the opening day of the second red-ball game against Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, only 35 overs were possible due to the persistent rain, where captain Rohit Sharma used all his bowlers apart from Ravindra Jadeja. The next two days were washed out due to the bad weather.
The pressure wasn’t much on India as they kept on taking regular wickets, but there was something that one could sense in the mind of the Saurashtra-born. And why not? He was just a step short of the landmark of 300 scalps in the longest format.
Ravindra Jadeja joins Ravichandran Ashwin and Kapil Dev on this record
In the morning session of the fourth day, the Indian captain threw the ball to the spinner as the second change bowler, who bowled consistently for a nine-over spell. Even though he kept the run rate in check, he wasn’t able to get any success in the wickets column.
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Ravindra Jadeja found his on-field companion Ashwin extending a huge tally, while after lunch, their premier pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, rattled the lower order of the visiting side as the Saurashtra all-rounder quickly came to his mark.
It was the second ball of the new spell as the eleventh batter of the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side, Khaled Ahmed, defended the ball back to the bowler, who grabbed a simple catch comfortably. He became the seventh Indian bowler and just the fourth spinner to claim 300 wickets in the format.
The 35-year-old now has joined Ravichandran Ashwin, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Ishant Sharma for this feat. Ravindra Jadeja is also the third Indian player with Ashwin and Kapil to enjoy a double tally of 3000+ runs and 300+ wickets in the format.
He now has smashed 3122 runs in 73 games at an average of 36.72 and a strike rate of 56.14 with the help of four centuries and 21 half-centuries with a best score of unbeaten 175 runs, while with the ball, he has bagged 300 scalps at an average of under 24 and a strike rate of below ten overs with a best spell of 7/42 in an innings.
“It’s special when you achieve something for India. I’ve been playing Tests for years and finally, I’ve reached this milestone. I’ve done well, and I’m proud of myself and feeling happy and good.” The veteran addressed at the end of the fourth day’s play of the Kanpur Test match.
In the past, he was remarked as the ‘white-ball specialist bowler’ which has made him more delighted to change the tag beside his name. In 197 ODIs, he has pocketed 2756 runs at an average of 32.42 and a strike rate of over 80 with the help of 13 half-centuries, besides picking 220 wickets at an average of 36.07.
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“It’s special and will forever remain with me. As a youngster, I started with white-ball cricket, and everyone used to tell me that I was a white-ball cricketer. But, I worked hard with the red ball, and finally, all the hard work paid off.” Ravindra Jadeja narrated.
He also touched on his batting abilities, where he shared his view on giving time to himself on a certain track before playing his shots.