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‘Rockstar’ Ravindra’s tribute to soothsayer Shane
His unbeaten 175 comes one day after Warne’s numbing demise.
Rockstar. Apparently, Ravindra Jadeja hadn’t realised at first why Shane Warne called him that. But Warne knew. Recently retired after throwing the world record gauntlet to Muttiah Muralitharan, Warne was looking for his next adventure. It came in the form of an IPL franchise seeking an icon for Jaipur. Warne fit the bill. Not only strategy and management, Warne also took under his wings Kamran Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Asnodkar and Jadeja—all young, starry-eyed and eager to impress.
Jadeja was just out of the U-19 India team then. “I couldn’t believe that I would be playing alongside a player of Shane Warne’s stature,” said Jadeja after the close of the second day’s play here. When Warne was being briefed, he was told Jadeja is a left-arm spinner and a handy lower-order bat. But seeing him bat, bowl and field made Warne believe otherwise.
“Hang on.”
“This kid’s a pretty special talent,” said Warne in an interview on YouTube. “He’s a better batsman. He can be a genuine allrounder. Amazing fielder, rocket arm. For me, it was all about getting his head right.”
That he predicted this almost four years before Jadeja had hit three triple centuries in the Ranji Trophy tells you something about Warne’s foresight. He knew a winner when he saw one. Hence began a long-drawn process of moulding and tempering, polishing and sharpening till Jadeja was ready to move out. From Royals to Kochi Tuskers and Chennai Super Kings, Jadeja’s performance took incremental leaps every season. And though it wasn’t until he started playing in Chennai that Jadeja was finally knighted (by MS Dhoni), this dream wouldn’t have taken wings without Warne.
With his unbeaten 175, Jadeja would have had Warne—who has never scored a Test hundred despite aggregating 3154 career runs—over the moon. That he isn’t around anymore is probably still lost on Jadeja, less than 24 hours after Warne’s numbing demise. “It was shocking. When I heard it, I wasn’t feeling well. How can this be true? His death shows that there are no certainties in life.”
Fortunately for India, it didn’t affect Jadeja’s rhythm. Resuming on 357/6, India were still probably a hundred short of a safe first innings score. First hour of the morning sessions can always surprise but by caressing Suranga Lakmal for a boundary, Jadeja quickly indicated his resolve to not let the narrative deviate even slightly. For the second day in a row, only one team showed up at Mohali. Listless in their bowling and even more in fielding, Sri Lanka didn’t look cut out for the rigours of this Test. By noon, the puff of dust and the ease of playing strokes told that this pitch had become a featherbed. But even on a shirt front, you need to connect the ball well. On Saturday, Jadeja rarely missed.
Till Ravichandran Ashwin was around, Jadeja played second fiddle. Once he was dismissed, Jadeja took over. From 105 off 173 balls when Jayant Yadav was caught at first slip, Jadeja scored 70 off the next 54. Vishwa Fernando was clattered for two boundaries, Lasith Embuldeniya conceded a six and two fours in successive balls while Dhananjaya de Silva was pulled over midwicket for a boundary before Jadeja smoked one over mid-off. Jadeja flourishing at No. 7 has been one of the biggest reasons India have been able to hold their batting together home and away. In the last three years, Jadeja has scored 885 runs at an average of 46.57. At home however, that average goes up to 84.83 (for 509 runs in nine innings).
Two things happen when Jadeja bats like this. Every fall of wicket tends to be compensated heavily as Jadeja realises he is running out of partners. That, in turn, increases pressure on the bowling to deviate from the tried and tested lines against lower-order bats. Sri Lanka today, some other team tomorrow, these finer points keep exposing the delicate balance you need to strike in Tests.
And since it’s Jadeja, we are not just talking runs here but also first-hand pitch reports. Sensing the pitch slowly turning rogue, Jadeja started sending feelers to the dressing room. “There was variable bounce. Some balls were turning, some weren’t. So, I sent a message that there is something on offer from the pitch and that we should put them in to bat now as they are already tired fielding for nearly quarter to two days (five sessions),” said Jadeja. “Since they were tired, it’s not easy to play the big shots straightaway and bat for long hours. So the plan was to declare quickly and exploit their fatigue.”
So India declaring with Jadeja 25 runs adrift his first double-hundred was as much Rohit Sharma’s decision as it was Jadeja’s insistence. The timing turned out to be near-perfect. Early tea was taken, allowing India to bowl a full, extended session. By stumps, India had made the ball turn, seam and scoot in 43 overs of coordinated assault by spinners and fast bowlers, reducing Sri Lanka to 108/4. They are still 466 runs behind.
