The only person who never doubted his ability to forge his cricketing credentials on the highest level, was Ravindra Jadeja himself. From being literally slammed out of international cricket by a ruthless Shane Watson in the 2010 T20 World Cup to becoming a go-to player in what has been a memorable Champions Trophy win for India, Jadeja’s has been a rather turbulent tale. It’s not a career path one would choose if given an option, yet it stands out as an example to follow.
If Kohli’s and Yuvraj’s have been the success stories built on their U-19 World Cup triumphs, in Jadeja we saw how a player could be easily ignored from the very same expansive stage. And let’s face it – he wasn’t a specialist that India has always been so keen to pick up from the U-19 pool. In Jaddu, all they were looking at was him as a bit-part player who wouldn’t fit in the dynamics of an international side.
Yet, Jadeja wasn’t the one to lose hope without going for another shot at the blue jersey. He toiled hard in the IPL and impressed everyone by his intent to combat the most difficult phases of the game. Moreover, in the Ranji circuit, his ability to dart the balls with unerring accuracy for as many as 70 overs in an innings and some defiant display of middle-order batting wouldn’t have ever gone unnoticed.
He had his limitations as a cricketer and he understood that before anyone else would have had to point it to him. He may have not been as flamboyant as some of his other U-19 teammates, yet none would have that hunger to improve every day out on the field.
However, when the opportunity came knocking on the door with a ticket to the Carribean for the T20 World Cup, one could see that it was still one step too far for Jadeja. Then in 2010, he was standing on a defining crossroad of his career where one big mistake could ruin what was his second chance to break into the international side. And it turned out to be worse than what anyone could’ve expected.
He came on to bowl the 4th over against an in-form Watson who smashed him for 3 consecutive sixes off the last 3 balls of the over. He then returned to bowl the 10th, only to be hit for 3 sixes again by Warner off the first three balls. A tour that Jadeja banked on to make an impact was suddenly that one tournament he was to be held responsible for India’s ousting for the rest of his career.
Was it one of those rare occasions of stage-fright in the game? Or was it just a bizarre set of events with Jadeja being the unfortunate focal point of them all? We may never be able to decipher that. Yet, if there was one player who could be crucified by a rather lunatic quadrant of our country’s media for the side’s ousting from the tourney, it was poor Ravindra Jadeja.
Suddenly out of nowhere, we saw a seismic change in our perception whenever we saw Jadeja take guard on the crease or start a new spell. A perception that reflected the supporters belittling his credentials to earn a place in the team and criticizing everything he does. All in all, he became that one unfortunate player who unsettled a fan during the game.
It is rather inexplicable, this relation between the fans and the player. Yet, on the hindsight, insulting or brutally lamenting a player for the efforts they put on the field is something every Indian cricketer should eventually be accustomed with.
For the person he grew up to be from a rather humble background in Gujarat, what Ravindra Jadeja possessed was a virtue of self belief – one that was ingrained so well in him that critics did nothing to subdue his resurgence.
Now, with enough international experience to his name, Jadeja was back on the domestic circuit to keep up the belief of his return to the international side again. He may have always been well-versed with the technical know-how of the game, yet was left clueless when the odds refused to favour him on the pitch.
Though, in the 2012/13 Ranji season, Jadeja was a completely different player. There was a sense of discipline in his bowling and a rejuvenated edge when he was out to get some runs for his side. Anyone who would have followed his career was bewildered with his newfound ability to assess and adapt with the situations instantaneously – an attribute that one mostly associates with a cricketer that has finally come of his age.
It was a season where he racked up some impressive scores with the bat, including two massive triple-hundreds; in no time he was back in contention for the national side. It was only a matter of time when an opportunity would sway towards him and this time he was more assured than ever to make it count.
In came a call for the Nagpur Test against the English side and he delivered remarkably well as the extra spinner in the side. His comfort with the subcontinental conditions and his tight bowling line meant MS Dhoni used him for long spells to keep up the pressure.
Jadeja on the other hand, never failed to provide the goods for his skipper. His consistent efforts meant the Indian side had a balanced looked to it where they could boast 7 batsman and 5 bowlers in all the formats of the game.
Whether it was his cunning left arm spin that was comparable only to a bowling machine or his blistering batting efforts in the slog-overs, Jadeja suddenly found himself at home. Yet, his best cricketing moment came against the Aussies when he helped his side to a famous series win with a total of 24 wickets to his name – a moment that consolidated his place in the side.
It had been a long time since we had a player that was astute enough to contribute to any facet of the game. And in Jadeja, the country was now looking up to a gamechanger with utmost hope to enliven the game in the most dire circumstances. His recent feats at the Champions Trophy proved that he was no more an inconsistent nomad in the side. In fact he means business, more so ever than anytime before in the Indian colours.
It wasn’t just surprising to see Jadeja unleashing his aggressive side on the grandest of stages but also the way he backed it up with a series of tremendous performances in all the departments. It was a trip where we found a belligerent opener in Shikhar Dhawan, a reinvigorated pace-battery and MSD’s last major trophy to complete his lavish collection, yet none could match the hysteria that surrounded the newly-found all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja.
However, critics would still point out the sluggish period he faced in the early 2012 season that made Jadeja reconsider his approach to the game, yet few bothered to dissect the statistical side to analyse how steadily he has climbed the rungs of professional cricket.
It’s not a game for every individual to just show up and assume the center stage folklore. In fact, it’s rather more heartening to see a career blossom after surviving all kinds of mental and performance related hassles that Jaddu had to deal with for the major part of his introduction to the international side.
And as far as the relationship with the fans and skeptics go, ‘Sir Ravindra Jadeja’ was never a comparable identity to Rajnikant (Even if it was, then Sir was winning the race by a country mile!). He was never superhuman when he faltered nor when he turned the tables in his favour. Yet, there wouldn’t be a better example on how a cricketer should improve than Ravindra Jadeja. And that deserves a cricketing knighthood if there was any!
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