In a no-contest that lasted 217.2 overs and two and a half days, India eked out influential performances from numerous individuals at the Narendra Modi Stadium. No one stood taller than Ravindra Jadeja, who celebrated his elevation as Shubman Gill’s deputy with an 11th Player of the Match award for another stellar all-round display.
It’s the left-handed all-rounder’s lot that, because he is unassuming and plays his performances down, he hasn’t been the recipient of the effusive praise reserved for more flamboyant colleagues. But that’s not something that will bother the 36-year-old. He sets himself high standards and derives satisfaction from matching or surpassing them. If the accolades come his way, that’s a bonus.
Second only to Tendulkar
Among Indians, only Sachin Tendulkar (14) has more Player of the Match awards than Jadeja, now sitting alongside Rahul Dravid in joint second. Tendulkar featured in 200 Tests, Dravid is India’s second most capped player with 164 appearances. The first Test against West Indies was Jadeja’s 86th five-day game. That alone should highlight Jadeja’s immense role in Indian victories in the dozen-plus years since his debut in December 2012.
In the last decade, India have been fortunate to be able to fall back on the services of crack spinners who are also excellent batters — R Ashwin, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar fall in that category, but despite the low profile, Jadeja helms that list. A batting average of 38.73 (3,990 runs) and a bowling average of 25.07 (334 wickets) amply illustrate his standing as a genuine all-rounder.
Given how far his batting has come along in the last half-dozen years, he can get into the team as a pure batter alone. His left-arm spin is primarily effective as an attacking weapon at home, but overseas, he provides the control which allows the faster bowlers to bear relentlessly down on opposition batters. In the field, he is an amalgam of fluid grace and lethal accuracy, a compelling figure that batters have taken lightly at their own peril.
Three first-class triple tons
A move up the batting order to No. 6 — he has also occupied the No. 5 slot a few times — has sparked a change in mindset with Jadeja finally beginning to think of himself as the batter with three first-class triple-hundreds. His game against pace has improved exponentially, while he can effortlessly take down spin; Jomel Warrican, Jadeja’s opposite number, was treated with absolute disdain in the first Test, his left-arm spin repeatedly deposited into the stands behind long-on.
Having played all his previous 49 Tests in India in Ashwin’s company, Jadeja is today the leader of the spin pack with Kuldeep Yadav and Washington for support. The vice-captaincy is recognition not just of his seniority and his consistent performances but also his standing as a thinking player with exceptional cricket smarts. Retired from T20Is and currently surplus to requirement in ODIs, Jadeja won’t brood over what isn’t but focus on what is. And what is, is a lion-hearted performer of the no-fuss variety.