4th Test: All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja achieves rare 'double' with Haseeb Hameed's wicket on Day 5 of Oval Test

Ravindra Jadeja picked up two important wickets shortly after the lunch interval, which took the India all-rounder to a rare milestone in Tests.

Heading into the fifth day of the Oval Test against England, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was going to be a pivotal bowler for India. With Jadeja being the lone spinner, the idea of him bowling on a Day 5 surface with roughs on offer was always going to be fascinating and the left-arm spinner did exactly what India wanted of him, picking up crucial wickets.

Ravindra Jadeja celebrates after castling Haseeb Hameed. (Getty)

Jadeja picked up two important wickets shortly after the lunch interval. He clean bowled a set Haseeb Hameed with a stunning delivery, which pitched on middle-leg and spun enough to clip his off-stump, beating the batsman's defence. With that, Jadeja achieved a fine landmark, getting to 50 Test wickets against England. He joined BS Chandrasekhar, Anil Kumble, R Ashwin, Bishan Bedi and Vinoo Mankad to become the sixth Indian spinner to do so.

Chandrasekhar is right at the top with 95 wickets against England, followed by Kumble (92), Ashwin (88), Bedi (85) and Mankad (54). Surprisingly, veteran India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh does not find a place in the list.

Besides, the wicket of Hameed also made Jadeja only the fourth Indian player to achieve the double of scoring 500 runs and grab 50 wickets against England in Tests. Before him, the five Indian cricketers to do it were Ashwin, Kapil Dev and Mankad. Ashwin has 970 runs and 88 wickets against England, Kapil had 1355 runs and 85 wickets, followed by Mankad, who has scored 672 runs and grabbed 54 wickets.

Hameed’s wicket wasn’t all. Jadeja picked up the wicket of England all-rounder and vice-captain Moeen Ali for a duck as the home team lost four wickets for six runs after lunch. Jadeja got the ball to turn sharply, taking the inner half of Ali’s bat and land straight into the hands of substitute Suryakumar Yadav at leg-slip.