Jadeja, the ‘bits and pieces’ cricketer, does it again

Ravindra Jadeja brought out his emblematic bat twirl upon reaching his first Test century away from home on the second day of the fifth Test between India and England on Saturday. But there was a hint of something else on his face as he looked at the pavilion for a while - arms raised, hair bouncing in the breeze and across his eyes.

He wasn’t just a rockstar at that moment. He was more, and he paused right then to give everyone a chance to validate his eminence. He knows he is one of the finest all-rounders to have ever donned the India jersey. He wanted us to see what we often forget.

In fact, when he was picked ahead of R Ashwin for the fifth consecutive time this series, there was enough brouhaha to bring the roof down. The tension only dissipated because Rishabh Pant hogged all social lines and Jadeja himself relaxed at the other end with a non-fuss batting strategy.

The duo had realised 222 runs for the sixth wicket, and India were guided to 338 for 7 at stumps with Jadeja still hanging cool with 83 runs to his name. On the second day, his 194-ball 104 carried India to a handsome 416 all out in 84.5 overs. His effort meant when England sputtered to 84 for 5 at stumps, they would be a whole 332 runs behind.

Still, there were many quarters that believe that in no universe does Jadeja get into a Test playing XI ahead of Ashwin. It is a fair argument to make for Ashwin himself has five Test centuries and 2931 runs to go with 442 wickets from 86 Tests. Jadeja has 2396 runs and 242 wickets from 60 Tests.

But Jadeja is a telling presence on the field. Ashwin is hardly so. Jadeja is a bundle of fast-twitch muscles, and he is not afraid to use every single one of them to ensure the best. Ashwin looks like he's running on a treadmill - running but not going ahead.

Jadeja knows that more than his impact with his bull-headed left-arm spin or his newly developed stoicism with the bat, his energy on the field is what causes his team-mates to gravitate towards him. Jadeja’s evident display of commitment is as contagious as it is required.

For this day, though, it was Jadeja the batter who owned the show, and Ashwin was in the pavilion cheering him on. Surely, Ashwin does not resent Jadeja for he has been his spin partner for years now. But perhaps the abundance of talent in the Indian side can be demoralising to some.

Coach Rahul Dravid won’t mind the ‘problem of plenty' at all, though, because he was able to leave out arguably the finest off-spinner of this generation and still come away looking good. Today, it was Jadeja who did the trick for him. Pant did it on Friday.

Having cruised into the 80s without stretching himself, Jadeja sat in on a new day with the same mindset. He shoulder-armed deliveries, played the ball under his nose, stuck his right foot outside the line of the stumps, kept his head steady… Jadeja has figured out how to play inside the box.

That could be the biggest change in his batting over the last few years. When he did make it to the Test side a decade ago, he looked to transfer his limited-overs skills to the longest format without really attempting a tweak. He failed, for long, at doing what Rishabh Pant is successfully able to do now.

Having understood his limitations, he plays the waiting game as well as some of the best batters around, and at No.7, that trait can be powerful for any top-level Test side.

At the rate any which Jasprit Bumrah is picking off English batters (84/5 at stumps), Jadeja wasn’t likely to get a bowl. But on a rainy day such as this one at Edgbaston, the 33-year-old deserved a moment to himself to internalise that his ‘bits and pieces’ are more than most others’ whole.