Nicknamed “Sir” by cricket fans, Ravindra Jadeja ’s career as an international cricketer is one that managed to transcend the boundaries of myth. Although the nickname was intended as a joke initially, the all-rounder cricketer took this criticism in his stride to turn the tables in an extraordinary manner.
Ravindrasinh Anirudh Jadeja, or Ravindra Jadeja, is a popular Indian international cricketer, born on December 6, 1988. An all-rounder, Jadeja is a left-handed batsman who usually bowls left-arm orthodox spin.
Jadeja is the current captain of the Chennai Super Kings, one of the most successful teams that play in the Indian Premier League. Jadeja is also considered one of the greatest fielders in the world. He represents Saurashtra in first-class cricket.
Personal Life
Jadeja was born to a Gujarati Rajput family in Navagam Ghed, Gujarat on December 6, 1988. His father, Anirudhsinh Jadeja, worked as a watchman for a private security agency and wanted Ravindra to become an army officer when he grew up.
More interested in cricket, Ravindra Jadeja used to be scared of his father during his childhood years. His mother, Lata Jadeja, died in an accident in 2005. Jadeja had almost quit cricket due to the trauma caused by his mother’s death. His sister, Naina, works as a nurse.
Jadeja is married to Reeva Solanki and has a daughter who was born in 2017. He lives in Jamnagar.
Career
Although known as an all-rounder in the Indian domestic circuit, it was quite evident that Jadeja was more effective as a bowler, possessing the ability to hit a spot with relentless precision. His extraordinary bowling does not make him any less of a batsman, though. He has three triple centuries in first-class cricket.
He was slowly making his mark in limited-overs cricket, but it was his debut in Tests that changed the fate of his cricketing career. Although his initiation into red-ball came in a dead rubber of the home series in 2012-2013 against England, the fairly decent debut secured him a place on the Indian team when the Australians toured India in 2013.
Starring alongside the lead spinner for the Indian cricket team, Ravichandran Ashwin, India recorded a complete whitewash over the Aussies that season.
Domestic Career
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Under-19 Cricket
Ravindra Jadeja made his first Under-19 appearance in 2005 for India. He was aged 16 at the time. Following the appearance, he was scouted for the Indian squad for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup that was to be held in Sri Lanka in 2006.
Jadeja’s performance was quite impressive in the final against Pakistan. He took 3 wickets in the final match. He went on to become the vice-captain of the Indian team at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2008. India had emerged victorious that year as well, with Jadeja playing a crucial role in the tournament as a bowler, taking 10 wickets in 6 games with an average of 13.
- First-Class Cricket
Representing the West Zone in the Duleep Trophy, Ravindra Jadeja made his first-class debut in the 2006-2007 season. He played for Saurashtra in the Rani Trophy. In 2012, Jadeja made history by becoming the first Indian cricketer and the eighth player in the world to score three first-class triple centuries.
He joined the wall of fame with Don Bradman, Brian Lara, Bill Ponsford, Wally Hammond, WG Grace, Graeme Hick, and Mike Hussey. His first century came in November 2011 while playing against Orrisa, where he scored 314 off 375 balls.
His second came the next year, in 2012, against Gujarat, in which he scored 303. The third century came in December 2012 while playing against Railways, in which he scored 331 runs off 501 balls. Jadeja reached this milestone in his career at the age of 23.
He became the fifth-fastest player to complete the double of 2000 runs and also get 200 wickets in Tests during his 56-run knock while playing against England in Nottingham.
International Career
- ODI Career
Ravindra Jadeja’s debut in the One Day International (ODI) was against Sri Lanka at the Premadasa Stadium located in Colombo in February 2009. Since then, he has represented India in 168 matches, scoring 2411 runs at an average of 32.58. His strike rate stands at 87.07, including 13 half centuries.
His bowling has always been exceptional. In his ODI career, Jadeja has conceded 7024 runs at an economy rate of 4.93. He has a five-wicket haul to his name.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) named Jadeja the number one bowler in 2013. He is the fourth Indian bowler, after Kapil Dev, Maninder Singh, and Anil Kumble, to be ranked number 1.
- International T20 Career
Jadeja’s T20 international debut was against Sri Lanka on February 10, 2009, at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, which India won by 3 wickets. He was criticised for not scoring fast enough as India lost the match to England.
He has taken 39 wickets in 50 matches at an economy rate of 7.10 in his T20 international career. He has only scored 217 runs as a batsman.
In the second T20 international of the Australian tour of India in February 2012, Jadeja was awarded Man of the Match for his fielding efforts. He had figures of 1/16 in 3 overs and had caused two runouts.
- Test Career
Ravindra Jadeja began his Test career in a match against England at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on December 13, 2012. Following his performance in his debut match, he was retained for the Indian squat for the home series against Australia.
Forming a bowling partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin, the duo demolished the Australian batting line-up. Jadeja was termed the architect of the historic 4-0 win against Australia by experts. He took 24 wickets in 4 matches.
He made a place for himself in the Test matches as India played in the Indian subcontinent. Having played 56 matches, he has taken 225 wickets at an average of 24.97 and scored 2137 runs at an average of 34.47 as a batsman. He has one century and 16 half-centuries to his name.
Career in the Indian Premier League
Selected by the Rajasthan Royals to play for them in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008, Ravindra Jadeja played a crucial role in their victory as they defeated Chennai Super Kings in the final.
He scored 135 runs from 14 matches at a strike rate of 131.06, performing even better in the next season in 2009 by scoring 295 runs at a strike rate of 110.90 and conceding less than 6.5 runs per over. The captain of the Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, called Jadeja “a superstar in the making”.
Due to irregularities in his contract, Jadeja had to sit out the 2010 IPL. In 2011, Kochi Tuskers Kerala bought Jadeja for a whopping Rs 9.2 crore. The team was terminated the same year, in September. In the 2012 IPL player auction, Chennai Super Kings won the bid for Jadeja at Rs. 9.8 crore, making Jadeja the most expensive player in that year’s auction.
He won the Man of the Match award in the second match of the season against the Deccan Chargers for his all-round performance. Ravindra Jadeja was appointed captain of the Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2022 IPL, replacing MS Dhoni.
Statistics
- Batting and Fielding Averages
- Bowling Averages
Published by – Kiruthiga K
Edited by – Kritika Kashyap
