The Versatile Warrior: Ravindra Jadeja

After the end of the third match of Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Indian ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. It came out as astonishing news as nobody expected him to retire this soon. Now, the responsibility of India’s spin department lies on another veteran- Ravindra Jadeja. He is a prolific bowler who has won many games for the country and today in this article by zap cricket, we will throw some light on the career trajectory of India’s best all rounder only- Ravindra Jadeja aka Jaddu. 

Early life and domestic cricket 

Born on 6 December, 1988, Jadega trained under Mr. Mahendrasinh Chauhan and Mr. Gurcharan Singh. He played domestic cricket for Saurashtra and made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2006-07 season. His records in domestic matches were phenomenal as he became the first Indian player to score three first class triple centuries.

International career of Ravindra Jadeja 

Jadega made his ODI debut on 8 February, 2009 vs Sri Lanka, T20I debut on 10 February, 2009 vs Sri Lanka and Test debut on 13 December, 2012 vs England.

He was the leading wicket taker in 2013 Champions Trophy and fifth Indian to score 2,000 runs and take 200 wickets in Test cricket. 

He is one of the best all rounders witnessed by this generation. It’s not just his primary skills-batting and bowling, which are beyond par, but his athleticism as a fielder. We have seen him making those lightning fast run outs and taking those extraordinary diving catches. In fact, the reason why Jadeja is rated this high is because of his fielding only. Undoubtedly, he is the best fielder of this generation.  

Moreover, with his batting and bowling, he brings a good balance to whichever side he’s playing for. As a batsman, he can accelerate in limited overs and stabilise in unlimited overs. Plus, a unique trait that Jadega possesses is that he can finish his over in less than 3 minutes! Because he holds the ability to bowl an over in such a short time span, the batsman always feels uncomfortable since they get no time to introspect.

After winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, he retired from the shortest format. Presently, he’s serving the nation in ODI and Test format and regularly features in IPL. 

International stats of Ravindra Jadeja 

Key matchups 

Awards and recognitions 

• Lifted Under 19 World Cup in 2008 as vice captain 
• Won Asia Cup on four occasions- 2010, 2016, 2018, 2023
• Won Champions Trophy in 2013
• ICC ODI team of the Year: 2013, 2016
• Madhavrao Scindia Award for most wickets in Ranji Trophy in 2008-09 season
• Felicitated with Arjuna award in 2019
• Ranked 1st in ICC Top 10 all rounders in 2021
• Won 2024 T20 World Cup

Ravindra Jadeja’s IPL career

Jadega made his first appearance in IPL in 2008 for Rajasthan Royals. Except in 2010, he has been playing regularly in this tournament. His record has been quite impressive as he also captained CSK in 2022 for a few matches. Here are the complete stats for Ravindra Jadeja in IPL: