Top 5 Ravindra Jadeja knocks in international cricket

Ravindra Jadeja is one versatile cricketer, who draws your attention when he plays. He plays aggressively and is the only Indian player to score three first-class triple centuries in his career. He averages more than 44 in first-class cricket and about 31 in List ‘A’.

Hence, his batting is very underrated. The fact that he bats at No. 8 or 9 in the current team doesn’t justify the talent he possesses with the bat. And he has played some fabulous knocks in his career. On his 29th birthday, let’s look at some of Jadeja’s best knocks in international cricket.

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#5 78 vs England, Kennington Oval – 2011 (3rd ODI)

After losing out on a World Cup berth, Ravindra Jadeja was back in the ODI squad which toured England in 2011. After a 4-0 drubbing in Tests and a narrow loss in the second ODI (after the first one was washed out), India were searching for their first win on the tour.

Put into bat by England, India were off to a disastrous start as they slipped to 57/5 in the 19th over. Jadeja (playing his first game of the series) joined skipper MS Dhoni in the middle. The main goal after a horrific start was to bat as many overs as possible and not get bowled out quickly.

Jadeja along with Dhoni (69) batted superbly to help India not only bat out 50 overs but also post a competitive score of 234. Jadeja played 89 deliveries and scored a wonderful 78. He first resurrected the innings before launching an attack at the death.

He backed this batting performance with a disciplined bowling performance, picking up 2/42. Unfortunately, India lost via Duckworth-Lewis as rain interrupted the game frequently. However, Jadeja won the Man of the Match award for his all-round show.

#4 63 vs Australia, Dharamsala – 2017 (4th Test)

Jadeja bailed India out of trouble in the fourth Test to set up the win.

The India-Australia series earlier this year was one of the most closely contested series in recent times. After a whopping 333 run-defeat in Pune, India did very well to earn a come-from-behind victory in Bangalore to square off the series 1-1. The Ranchi Test saw an exciting draw unfold. When both teams moved to Dharamsala for the final Test of the season, there was optimism in both camps.

Australia won the toss and batted first on a track which offered nice pace and bounce. On the back of skipper Steven Smith’s third ton of the series, Australia managed to score 300 in their first innings. India, in reply, were reeling at 221/6 when Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat. He had had a poor start to the series with 10 runs in 4 innings before scoring an unbeaten 54 in the third Test to roar back into form.

Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins were bowling beautifully and any sort of lead on that pitch would’ve been handy. Jadeja along with Saha (31) put his head down and played superbly to help India gain a useful 32-run lead. Jadeja scored 63 with 4 fours and 4 sixes. He attacked the spinners and didn’t let them settle. He played the pacers brilliantly as well.

His 63 helped India reach 332 in their first innings. Eventually, India bowled Australia out for 137 in the second outing and chased down 106 with ease to seal the series 2-1. Jadeja was adjudged the Player of Match and Player of the series for his stellar performances with both bat and ball.

#3 90 vs England, Mohali – 2016 (3rd Test)

Jadeja batted with great resilience to help India post 417.

Jadeja is generally known for his aggressive batting and attacking instincts. But here he showed he has another side to his batting as well. After escaping with a draw in the first Test in Rajkot, India came out strongly to take a 1-0 lead in Vishakhapatnam.

After losing the toss and having to field first on a good batting track, the Indian bowlers bowled very well collectively to dismiss England for 283. In reply, India were reeling at 204/6 as the top-order batsmen couldn’t convert their starts. Jadeja joined Ashwin in the middle as India looked to inch closer to England’s target.

England would’ve wanted to clean up India’s lower-order quickly and gain some sort of a lead. But that was not the case as Jadeja, Ashwin and Jayant Yadav batted with great resilience to put India in a commanding position. India were bowled out for 417 with a lead of 134.

The way Jadeja batted was brilliant. He showed great discipline in his entire innings and was very patient. Though he lost patience when he reached 90, this knock showed the other side of Jadeja – the Test batsman.

#2 66* vs New Zealand, Auckland – 2014 (3rd ODI)

Jadeja batted brilliantly with the tail to help India manage a tie.

This is perhaps Jadeja’s best knock in limited-overs cricket. India fell marginally short in run chases in the first two ODIs. Being 2-0 down and chasing 315 to stay alive in the series, India needed solid performances at the top and a couple of good partnerships.

However, none of that happened as India slipped to 184/6 in the 36th over. And with MS Dhoni (who scored 50) gone, the game looked dead and buried. Jadeja (demoted to No. 8 after a string of poor scores) joined Ashwin in the middle with 130 runs to get in about 14 overs.

The way Jadeja and Ashwin (65) counter-attacked was brilliant. They forged a brilliant 85-run partnership for the 7th wicket as they took India closer. With Ashwin gone and India still needing 46 in 5 overs, Jadeja took the responsibility of taking the game deep. He started farming the strike but still lost partners at the other end.

With one wicket in hand and 18 runs to get off the final over, Jadeja brought it down to 12 off 3. At that moment, Kiwis would’ve fancied their chances. But Jadeja had other plans. He struck a four and a six to bring it down to 2 off the final ball. However, he could manage only a single to help India tie the game and kept the series alive. Jadeja finished with a superb 45-ball 66 and was awarded the Player of the Match.

#1 68 vs England, Lord’s – 2014 (2nd Test)

Jadeja's famous sword celebration started from Lord's 2014.

A lot of people remember this Test match for different reasons. One of the main reasons was a special knock from Jadeja. After scoring 295 in the first innings, India conceded a 24-run lead as England posted 319.

In the second essay, India were in trouble at 203/6 (which soon became 235/7) when Jadeja walked out to the centre. And what followed was absolutely mind-boggling. The way Jadeja counter-attacked just took the game away from England.

His belligerent 57-ball 68 helped India reach 342 and set the hosts a target of 319. The Saurashtra all-rounder spared none of the bowlers as he took the attack to England. Ishant’s bouncer barrage helped him take 7/74 as India registered a famous win. But it was Jadeja’s second innings blitz which provided the platform for India’s first Test victory at Lord’s in 28 years.