Ravindra Jadeja demands attention after his heroic Gabba performance; Gambhir and Rohit reconsider decisions about leaving him out.
For nearly seven years after making his Test debut in December 2012, Ravindra Jadeja primarily batted at No. 8, with the odd one position up or down. He was primarily seen as a left-arm spinner who could hit the ball hard in the lower order, which reflected in the statistics – an average of 32.50 in 43 Tests, a strike rate of 62.87, with one hundred and 11 fifties. While these figures are good for an attacking Asian bowler, Jadeja’s potential as a batsman was much underplayed, particularly in Test cricket. He never seemed to believe in his skills at that time.
Since October 2019, Jadeja has well and truly made himself a top six batsman. His batting has improved so much that India has even promoted him to No. 5, where he scored 112 against England in Rajkot in February when the team was in trouble at 33 for three. In the 35 Tests since October 2019, Jadeja averages 38.93. Though his strike rate has dropped slightly to 51.31, his overall effectiveness has increased significantly. Three of his four centuries have come in the past five years, and he is now considered to be a more reliable rather than a hit-or-miss batting option.
Jadeja has often delivered match-winning innings when the team was under pressure. Whether it is at home, where he enjoys less aggressive turning pitches, or in SENA countries, where he trusts his defense against bouncing, seaming, and swinging balls, he waits for the right opportunities. His presence inspires confidence in his batting partners, whether it is a seasoned player like KL Rahul or an emerging talent like Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Jadeja’s batting was full of intelligence at the Gabba Test. Batting at No. 7, after sitting out the last two Tests, he came to the crease when India was struggling at 74 for five. Rahul was in his best form, but he lacked partners. Australia had 445 on the board; India needed 172 to make Australia bat again.
None of this fazed Jadeja. He looked to survive early challenges and felt that once the Kookaburra ball softened, batting would become easier. At 23.3 overs old, the ball was starting to lose its bite. Jadeja took his time, leaving balls and settling into a steady rhythm, supported by Rahul at the other end. Together, they managed to rotate strike and keep the scoreboard ticking. After nearly 45 minutes, Jadeja became more comfortable, striking his first boundary with a sweep off Nathan Lyon, who is the main Australian threat.
Jadeja does not play a flashy game and does not indulge in flashy strokes; he just gets it done. The only ostentation is his bat-twirl celebration for reaching milestones that reminds of his Rajput heritage. The crowd at Gabba went into raptures when he reached fifty – a reflection of his growing popularity.
Jadeja helped Rahul add 67 runs and then teamed up with Nitish Kumar Reddy for 53 runs. He showed cricketing maturity by not trying to be over aggressive as he had in the earlier Tests. His innings came to an end when he was caught in the deep for 77, just before the arrival of No. 10, Jasprit Bumrah. While his knock did not take India past the follow-on mark, it was a vital contribution to their progress. India must seriously think again about leaving Jadeja out of the playing XI in future matches.
