Ravindra Jadeja said that once India conceded 288-run first innings lead, Proteas batter played freely in the second essay without worrying about conditions. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Ravindra Jadeja plays a shot on the second day of the first test cricket match between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 15, 2025.
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

“If it’s a batting-friendly pitch, I become a batter. If it’s a bowler-friendly pitch, I become a bowler. It is simple.”

When Ravindra Jadeja was asked to shed light on his sustained all-round excellence during India’s second Test against West Indies in New Delhi last month, a throwaway response that evoked chuckles from the press pack was all that came by. It seems to be intrinsic to his nature to not harp on his skills, preferring instead to let his runs, wickets and catches do the talking.

Uncommon flexibility

Even then, the light-hearted reply begs the question: how many actually have the ability with both bat and ball to switch their primary skill based on the vagaries of the 22-yard strip?

On a track conducive to run-making, he is perfectly capable of batting in the top six and peeling off a century. And on a spin-friendly surface, he is equally adept at weaving a web and producing a five-wicket haul. Add his sharp ground fielding and safe catching to the mix, along with his athleticism, endurance and explosive burst of speed, and he clearly belongs to an exotic breed even within the category of all-rounders.

The wide-ranging attributes have helped him scale exemplary numbers in Tests: 3,990 runs, 338 wickets and 49 catches in 87 matches. As and when he crosses the 4,000-run mark, he will join a select gathering of all-rounders — Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Daniel Vettori — to have scored these many runs and claimed 300-plus scalps in the classical format. With a two-Test series against South Africa beginning November 14 in Kolkata, the landmark is imminent.

Yet, as eye-catching as these figures are, it seems reductive to view the 36-year-old’s career purely through the prism of numbers. For as long as he has been around — his Test career will complete 13 years in December — he has been defined by his proclivity to seamlessly slot into different boxes, like water taking the shape of its container, rather than by any conscious pursuit of personal milestones.

“I won’t lie that I don’t think of personal milestones at all. It seems like it will feel good when such things happen. But once it happens, it feels the same as earlier. There is nothing new,” Jadeja explained in the press conference in October. “More than my own milestones… if I perform, does it make the team win? Are my runs and wickets having an impact on the team? Right now, my mindset has become like that. That’s more important. If you score runs and take wickets and the team loses, it has no relevance.”

That Jadeja, famously dubbed ‘rockstar’ in the infancy of his career by Shane Warne, has reached this sweet spot is a reflection of the maturity he has gained over time. Though his slim, supple frame continues to glide across the turf like it did in the reckless rush of youth, having not gained a visible shred of fat in all these years, he is now the oldest member of the Indian team.

In a year that has witnessed the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Tests — his old spin partner R. Ashwin also exited the stage last December — the all-rounder from Jamnagar, set to turn 37 on December 6, is remarkably enjoying his most prolific period with the bat. In eight Tests in 2025, he has scored 659 runs — more than in any other year — at an average of 82.37.

Putting it together

Akin to the ripening of a fruit, Jadeja took time to fuse all the ingredients as a batter at the highest level. Though the raw material was always there — three triple tons in First Class cricket by the time he turned out in Test whites — it was only towards the latter part of 2016, more than three years after making his debut, that Jadeja began to pull his weight with the willow. His batting has scaled up substantially since 2018, producing 2,814 runs in 52 Tests at an average of 44.66. All of his six Test hundreds have come in this period.

He was at his apogee in England this year. In a largely parched summer that facilitated a spree of runs, Jadeja duly filled his boots with 516 runs in 10 innings at 86. It included a streak of four successive half-centuries and was followed by a ton that contributed to India saving the Test in Manchester on the final day. A simple technique, devoid of exaggerated trigger movements, and a steely temperament were the driving forces in this purple patch.

The tour of the Old Blighty, however, wasn’t rewarding with the ball for Jadeja for obvious reasons. There are limitations that the left-arm spinner has as a wicket-taker outside the subcontinent, but even when the conditions are inimical, what he always offers is control from one end as the pacers probe from the other.

Numbers are instructive in this regard. Since January 2010, among bowlers with 200-plus Test wickets, Jadeja’s economy-rate of 2.59 runs per over is the lowest. In an era of rising run-rates, it is a testament to Jadeja’s accuracy in hitting a good length that he is still able to tie batters down. It makes him deadly on turning tracks at home where the benefit of natural variation becomes all the more pronounced, for even the bowler doesn’t always know whether the ball is going to grip and spin or skid into the pads after pitching.

The modus operandi has yielded majestic results, his 338 scalps in the format being the fifth-highest by an Indian behind Anil Kumble, Ashwin, Kapil and Harbhajan Singh.

In the broad spectrum of skills he brings to the table, there is also his contribution to India’s white-ball teams. His last act in T20Is before retiring along with Rohit and Kohli was lifting the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean last year. In ODIs, he hasn’t played since winning the Champions Trophy in March.

Strangely, despite his illustrious career, Jadeja hasn’t necessarily got his due from the public at large. Even when he was left out of India’s ODI squad for the recent series against Australia, although chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that it had no bearing on the medium-term, it was no more than a footnote.

Legacy vs. popular memory

It is perhaps because, notwithstanding all the runs, wickets and catches in numerous victories for India, he isn’t associated with a singular defining moment of glory that lives on in popular memory. While he won Chennai Super Kings its fifth IPL title in 2023 by hitting a six and four off the last two deliveries in a cliffhanger, he has had some ‘so near and yet so far’ heartbreaks on national duty. The 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand and the Lord’s Test this year spring to mind.

But in the grand scheme of things, this shouldn’t matter. Because whenever Jadeja hangs up his boots and reflects on whether his runs and wickets had an impact on the Indian team, the answer will be a resounding yes.

Published – November 08, 2025 12:15 am IST

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File photo of Ravindra Jadeja.
| Photo Credit: AP

India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is set to play in Saurashtra’s Ranji Trophy tie against Delhi from January 23 after turning up for the team’s practice session in Rajkot on Sunday (January 19, 2025).

Jadeja last played for Saurastra in January 2023.

Following the tour of Australia, the BCCI had made participation in domestic cricket mandatory unless the player is unavailable due to an injury.

“Jadeja has turned up for training today. He will play the next match,” Saurashtra Cricket Association president Jaydev Shah told PTI on Sunday.

India captain Rohit Sharma, who battles poor form in Australia, confirmed his availability for Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy against Jammu and Kashmir. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal will also turn up for their respective sides.

While Pant will be part of Delhi’s playing eleven against Saurashtra, India superstar Virat Kohli will not take part in the game due to an injury.

Jadeja was named in Champions Trophy squad on Saturday. The southpaw retired from T20 Internationals following the T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados last year.

Saurashtra have not had the best of times in Ranji Trophy seasons, collecting only 11 points from five games including two losses and as many draws. Their sole outright win came against Chandigarh.

Post the Champions Trophy squad announcement on Saturday, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had spoken about the importance of national cricketers playing domestic cricket.

“I don’t think it’s a diktat. It’s one of the things that BCCI has obviously put forward. But as I said, I mean, as selectors, we expect people, when they’re available, to play because that can only strengthen our domestic structure,” Agarkar had said.

“Not just for their form or their fitness and playing cricket, but it can only strengthen our domestic structure. So, when the time permits, we expect everyone to play.”

India’s Jasprit Bumrah with Australia’s captain Pat Cummins following the fifth cricket test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, in Sydney, Australia, on January 5, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah continued to reign supreme at the top of the bowlers’ chart with a career-best rating of 908 in the latest ICC Test Rankings, released on Wednesday (January 8, 2025).

Bumrah, who made history ahead of the fifth and final Test against Australia by recording the highest-ever ICC Rankings rating for an Indian bowler at 907 points, improved that tally by one point after taking two wickets in the first innings at the SCG.

However, a back spasm ruled him out of bowling in the second innings, restricting his role to just batting.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who climbed a spot to be joint-ninth, is the other Indian giving Bumrah company in the top-10.

He shares the ninth spot with Australian pacer Scott Boland, who has made a remarkable leap of 29 places to break into the top 10.

Boland’s stellar performance in the Sydney Test, where he claimed a 10-wicket haul (4/31 and 6/45), proved too much for the Indian batters on a lively pitch.

His efforts were instrumental in Australia’s triumph, ending a decade-long wait to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins also made gains in the rankings, climbing to number two after picking up five wickets in the final match. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada rose a spot to occupy the third place while injured Josh Hazlewood moved down two places to be fourth.

Rishabh Pant’s blistering 33-ball 61 in the second innings earned him a three-spot rise in the batting rankings, moving him to number nine while India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal retained his fourth spot.

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma extended his rich vein of form, scoring a vital century in the first innings to climb three spots to number six, also achieving a career-best rating of 769.

Meanwhile, Kyle Verreynne’s impressive century saw him rise four places to secure the 25th spot.

India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. FIle
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

A nip in the air was obvious and while the Indians wound up their training, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, clad in a pullover and with hands dug into his pockets, spoke about the ‘sweet-headache’ associated with the team. With Rohit Sharma back and Shubman Gill revealing signs of recovery from his left thumb injury, the question was centred around the selection headaches in the forthcoming Tests.

After a prefatory ‘mike check, may the sun shine on all of us’ prelude at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Friday (November 29, 2024), Nayar said: “It is a sweet headache. It’s always good to be in a position where you get two top players coming back into your set-up. It builds a lot of confidence. It is good to have them (Rohit and Gill) back. The team is full of heart.”

However, be it the last word on Gill’s fitness or Rohit’s probable slot in the playing eleven, Nayar remained guarded. He, though, was happy with the manner in which the Indians trained: “It was raining but the good thing is that everyone was keen to play. Even in the rain, everyone batted. Whether it’s a pink ball or a red ball, there’s not much difference. We are trying to adapt to the colour and the extra lacquer on the ball in this (warm-up) game.”

On monitoring the bowlers’ workload through a long series, Nayar emphasised that after the early closure of the Perth Test, there was adequate rest: “The game got over in four days and we got three days after that. Today, the guys didn’t bowl much because of the weather. We will obviously sit and plan.”

As for the tough selection call of dropping R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja at Perth, Nayar said that as professionals the duo understood the team’s needs: “When you have seniors like Jaddu and Ash, who understand what the team is trying to do, it becomes very easy because of the team first policy. The culture of this team is that everyone wants ‘Team India’ to win.”

Ravindra Jadeja celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand batter Matt Henry.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Ravindra Jadeja finds himself in an unchartered territory. Not when it comes to flummoxing the opposition batters with his accurate spin bowling but because of a series lost at home.

In India’s last series loss at home prior to this, Jadeja – a rookie – had featured in a solitary Test. No wonder then that despite picking his 14th five-wicket haul — 12th at home — Jadeja had something to rue about.

“I was scared of this. I didn’t want to lose a single series in India until I played, but it has happened. Whatever I think about, it happens suddenly,” Jadeja said after the opening day’s play here on Friday.

“We have raised our expectations so high that we have not lost a single series for 12 years, and in 12 years, I have been involved in only five losses at home. As a team, it is a lesson. We need to pick up positives from this.”

While Jadeja admitted that there was little time to process the batting meltdown towards the end of the day, stating “it all happened to quickly” he agreed that the state of mind of the players perhaps reflected in their decision-making.

“When you are down in the series and such a situation comes up, obviously it feels like if you are down 2-0 in the series, that’s why you panicked and you made a mistake,” Jadeja said.

But when you keep winning and when you are ahead 2-0, then everyone says, ‘It’s okay, it happens’. When you are down in the series, then such small thing always seems big.”

Ravichandran Ashwin in action on day 4 of the first Test against Bangladesh at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on September 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu

At 38, R. Ashwin is probably in the final phase of his career.

And with India set to host only four Tests next year (two each against South Africa and West Indies), it remains to be seen whether Chennai will get another Test soon if the usual rotation policy for venues applies.

In case Ashwin doesn’t get to add to his tally of five Tests here, the wily off-spinner can peacefully ride into the sunset knowing he scored a century, took a six-wicket haul and was the Player-of-the-Match in his final outing at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

When asked if the game against Bangladesh that ended on Sunday could be his last one in his home town, Ashwin pondered and then explained how hard it is to predict the next Test match or the series. At the same time, he also seemed at peace if it turned out to be his final bow at Chepauk.

“Yeah, quite a good question. I don’t know. What is swansong? Every time you walk out to the park, it is a swansong. You are talking about a Test match. Maybe or maybe not. Who knows,” remarked Ashwin, who clinched his 10th Player-of-the-Match award.

“Every day, every Test match I play is a big thing. Not only for me, for cricketers to go through a Test match or a series is a grind. You never know what is next regarding Tests. Because you put in that effort and must be lucky enough to get those performances, work hard, and manage your ups and downs simultaneously.”

“These are all huge challenges for any Test cricketer. So, I haven’t thought so far ahead, but if that was my swansong (in Chennai), what a swansong,” he added.

In what has already been an eventful year in terms of records, Ashwin went past Courtney Walsh’s tally of 519 scalps and is now eighth on the all-time list with 522 wickets. On how he keeps reinventing himself, Ashwin conceded it was getting challenging.

“It’s not the same as when you are 25, 30 or even 35. 38 is different to 35. Every bit of work that you put in, you have to put it doubly hard to earn the right to be there. There are challenges for me to go through. Usually, it takes a little bit longer. I just wanted to enjoy my game and be the best that I can be. I am not ambitious and want to play as long as I can,” Ashwin elaborated.

The Tamil Nadu player also said he did not want to think too far into the future, ahead of a long season with nine more Tests scheduled.

“When you look so far ahead, it can be quite deflating. You have to stack it up. There are good breaks between games. More than skill, I think it is about physically being able to go through the season, which is of utmost importance to me right now,” said Ashwin.