Ravindra Jadeja (2008-2017): The evolution in pictures

90 years ago, the ruler of Nawabnagar, one of the princely states of colonialised India, upon first visiting the poverty-ridden town of Jamnagar, described it as an 'evil slum', and took it upon himself to modernise it. However, a serious bout of typhoid forced him to shift to England, and his nephew took on the onus of building the city.

The ruler, Kumar Ranjitsinhji, later went on to become one of the greatest batsmen of all time, playing 307 first-class games and 15 Tests for England.

Unknowingly, Ranjitsinhji's two biggest contributions to India turned out to be the feasting ground of another international cricketer, who was born 116 years after him.

Ravindrasinhji Anirudhsinhji Jadeja owes as much to the once-ravaged city, as he does to the tournament named after the princely king. Jamnagar and the Ranji Trophy provided the perfect platform for a left-arm spinner to become the No. 1 bowler in the world.

The son of a security guard, Jadeja was born in impoverished circumstances, but got used to it as a way of life.

However, the most difficult phase of his early years was coming to terms with the early demise of his mother. A despondent Jadeja later admitted that he mulled quitting the game altogether, but he battled along.

Jadeja played two U-19 World Cups for India

Jadeja moved on, and rose through the ranks, making a spot for himself as a 17-year-old in the 2006 U-19 World Cup. As was allowed those days, he got a second stint with the side in 2008, for the World Cup in Malaysia two years later. The latter team won, and Jadeja ended with 10 wickets from six games. The bat, however, didn't do much talking.

The start to his career was marred by his extremely ineffective batting, despite him meriting a place in the side as an 'all-rounder'. The biggest disappointment came when he was merely 21, and projected as the villain of India's failed World T20 title defence in 2009, after a three-run loss to England.

Jadeja failed in his first ICC tournament

An unpolished Jadeja, still getting to terms with the towering levels of international cricket, bombed miserably, plodding 25 runs off 35 balls as India failed in their chase-able pursuit of 153 runs.

The 2010 World T20 was another forgettable tournament for Jadeja

The very next year, against Australia in the same tournament's third edition, Jadeja the bowler lost all his bearings, getting smacked for three consecutive sixes in two separate overs, with Shane Watson and David Warner taking turns to do the honours.

Twitter, basking in the glory of being the perfect online bully, found its next subject of ridicule. Overnight, Ravindra Jadeja was affixed with 'Sir', a vacuous dig that went a tad too far.

Jadeja constantly found himself in and out of the team

The constant trolling would have discouraged even the most accomplished; Jadeja hadn't even done much of note till then. With preparations hastened for the World Cup that was fast approaching, everyone forgot Jadeja, and after the glory that followed, the carpet was yanked from beneath his feet. From December 2010 to September the next year, he did not get a single chance.

Jadeja shone with the bat in his comeback game in 2011

In September 2011, with India suffering through an agonisingly fruitless tour of England, Jadeja returned, and in some style, scoring 78 at The Oval after arriving at the crease at 58-5.

Jadeja was not part of the 2012 World T20

During Australia's tour in early 2012, Jadeja managed to shine in spurts, but gave a good account of his fielding prowess on the big grounds Down Under. His reflexes were on point, he moved as quickly as anyone while chasing the ball and his left-arm throw was described as a 'rocket'. During one of the games, he was awarded the Man of the Match award mainly due to his fielding efforts.

Jadeja was part of India's tour of Australia in 2012-13

After the Commonwealth Bank series against Australia, where there was a marked shift in the Indian ODI team's setup, Jadeja was slowly shunted out, with Ravichandran Ashwin establishing himself as the numero uno spinner across all formats for the team.

For the World T20 in 2012, the side preferred Ashwin and Piyush Chawla, with Harbhajan Singh making a return as well. A slew of back-to-back Tests against England and New Zealand meant that Jadeja stayed out of the Team India cut.

A third triple-hundred in the Ranji Trophy was undoubtedly the turning point

A turning point in his career, however, came in the 2012-13 Ranji season, when his prowess with the bat in domestic cricket touched new heights. He scored his third triple century in first-class cricket, joining an extremely elite list of players including Donald Bradman and Brian Lara.

There weren't as many plaudits as there were ridicules, and he kept getting heralded as 'Sir'. However, Jadeja wasn't going to stop this time.

He returned to the side with a bang, and was awarded his first Test cap soon. Critics weren't convinced about his ability with the red ball, and his batting always carried a question mark around it.

2013 turned out to be his best year.

Jadeja was lethal against Michael Clarke

He played his first Test against England, but more importantly, got a look-in for the Australia series that followed, which ended up being the perfect revenge for Team India. It truly made Jadeja stand out as a supremely useful bowler in the longest format, with the ability to consistently deliver the ball in the right places and earn wickets. He picked up Michael Clarke, the visiting side's best batsman, five times out of six innings.

Jadeja was the leading wicket-taker in the 2013 Champions Trophy

The tables had turned, but his best was yet to come. The 2013 Champions Trophy was the reward for India's fearless approach in limited-overs cricket, and Jadeja was the undisputed pillar of their all-round prowess. He made the tournament his own, and ended up with the most wickets in the series (2012).

By mid-2013, Jadeja had emerged as the best bowler in ODIs

In August 2013, Jadeja became the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world, usurping mystery spinner Sunil Narine to the top-spot, and was the first Indian since Anil Kumble in 1996 to have risen to the top spot in the bowlers' rankings. The circle was complete.

Jajdea carved a niche of his own with his remarkable fielding

Towards the end of 2013, his performances in South Africa were noteworthy and re-affirmed the faith of the selectors in keeping him as a permanent Test option. His six-for at Durban was the first five-wicket haul by an Indian spinner away from home since 2011, and showed how vital his accurate left-arm spin was.

Jadeja and his now famous sword celebration

There was a slump in form in 2014, but his batting continued to get better with every passing match, best highlighted by his whirlwind knock against England at Lord's, that was accompanied by a never-seen-before twirl of the bat in true Rajputana style. Jadeja belonged to the biggest stage and he knew it: heavy dollops of confidence had buried the doubters.

Despite an injury, Jadeja played the 2015 World Cup

In late-2014, an untimely finger injury sneaked out of nowhere and halted Jadeja's charge. Before the Boxing Day Test against Australia, Jadeja suffered an injury while training, and did not play a single Test until November the next year.

A shoulder injury that threatened to seriously throw his career off the rails also cropped up, but Jadeja was too valuable an asset to be excluded from the 2015 World Cup. The bold move did not pay rich dividends, as a jaded Jadeja took nine wickets from eight games during India's semi-final finish.

Indifferent form and injury issues led to his omission from the side

Indifferent form and injuries led to his omission from the side. Axar Patel was the beneficiary.

It wasn't until the 2015 series against South Africa that Jadeja got a recall, and fittingly, it was the Ranji Trophy that came to his rescue.

Jadeja was sensational during the 2015 series against South Africa

He scored 215 runs and picked up 38 wickets from four games to force his way back into the side, just in time for the series against South Africa at home, and was the star there as well, snaring 23 wickets from four games.

Jadeja and Ashwin have formed one of the most lethal bowling partnerships of the modern era

Over the next year and a half, Jadeja, along with Ravichandran Ashwin, formed the cornerstone of India's excellent run in Tests, including a near spotless home season. 14 wickets against New Zealand, and 25 wickets against Australia helped him rise to the No. 1 spot in the bowlers' Test rankings. He, along with Ashwin, became the first pair of spinners to be the joint No. 1 in Tests.

Kuldeep Yadav has been playing well in Jadeja's shadows

While he continued to rule the whites, the emergence of a new set of spinners in limited-overs cricket suddenly caught him off-guard. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav did extremely well in the limited chances they got, and the latter's quirky bowling style gave him an edge over his competitors.

Jadeja is a part of the Indian team that will tour South Africa in 2018

Despite being 'rested' for recent ODI series, Jadeja continues to be a vital part of Team India's Test fortunes, but more importantly, has brushed away the ignominious initial years to form a legacy of his own.