Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy | Ravindra Jadeja: The unsung batter of the Indian team

Jadeja has four Test centuries and averages a solid 35.30 — ten more than R Ashwin, who hit 6 tons — but the Saurashtra cricketer barely got the acknowledgment the Tamil Nadu off-spinner received.

Birmingham: Ravindra Jadeja the batsman often doesn’t get the same recognition as Ravindra Jadeja the bowler. It’s one of the ironies the southpaw has had to live with in his storied international career, despite scoring an incredible three triple-centuries in his first-class career. 

Jadeja, in fact, has four Test centuries and averages a solid 35.30 — ten more than R Ashwin, who hit 6 tons — but the Saurashtra cricketer barely got the acknowledgment the Tamil Nadu off-spinner received. That probably could be because he wasn’t as stylish as Ashwin, his batting as metronomic as his wicket-to-wicket bowling, and lacking the grace most left-handers are naturally blessed with.  

Jadeja, highly respected in the dressing room for the all-round skills he brings to the table, however, doesn’t really care about perceptions. He takes his batting as seriously as his bowling, and his goal every time he steps out with the willow is to make as much impact as he can. He’s one of those extremely committed individuals who is willing to walk that extra mile for the sake of the team’s cause.

The 36-year-old, the senior-most member in this largely young side, showed how serious he is about his batting. The veteran took a cab ride much before the scheduled team bus trip on the second morning of the second Test here in Edgbaston to put in some extra work in the ‘nets’. That focus and determination came to the fore in the game-changing 203-run partnership for the sixth wicket with captain Shubman Gill, where he stroked a superb 137-ball 89.

England had a new ball in their hands and the conditions were a bit nippy. Skipper Ben Stokes tested Jadeja and Gill, setting challenging fields. First it was the short-ball trap and then it was the full-length off-side one. Like how Gill batted with immense concentration, Jadeja too barely erred to defy England. He defended solidly but attacked the moment England erred in their lines or lengths. He looked so assured that a century appeared imminent before being flummoxed by a short ball from Josh Tongue. Jadeja walked back dejected but not before receiving a pat on his back from Gill and applause from his mates.

“When you contribute to the team, it obviously feels good,” said Jadeja in the post-day press conference where, unlike other players, he joked around with the media with witty one-liners. “When you play outside India, and when the team needs more, like when you are five down at 210, you have to stitch together a big partnership to take the team forward. So I think that was a challenging situation for me and I saw it that way. And when it comes off it gives you great confidence for the remainder of the series.

“I came in early because in England you never feel set. I wanted to practice a little more because it was a crucial morning for us. They had the new ball and it was a tricky phase for us. The plan was to bat till lunch and take it from there.”