Ravindra Jadeja turns 29 and gets a ‘lucky’ gift too! Team India party after series win
Ravindra Jadeja is India’s leading all-rounder and his skills have come in handy in the India vs Sri Lanka Test series. The Saurashtra all-rounder turned 29 on Wednesday
Ravindra Jadeja, who is placed second — both in ICC Rankings for bowlers in Test cricket as well as in the list of best all-rounders — has been India’s match-winner on several occasions in Test cricket. He celebrates his 29th birthday on Wednesday. (KOTLA TEST DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS| SCORECARD)
The bowling all-rounder from Saurashtra, who has also scored eight fifties in Test cricket, holds the distinction of scoring as many as three triple centuries in domestic cricket, apart from playing a significant role in India’s consolidation of their No 1 spot in ICC Test Rankings.
The left-arm spinner’s pressure-building tactics from one end while Ravichandran Ashwin’s sustained attack from the other end has helped India clinch impressive victories at home against the likes of New Zealand, England, Australia, Bangladesh and even Sri Lanka (both home and away).
Ravindra Jadeja’s 29th birthday came along with a lucky gift in form of a huge wicket on Wednesday morning, as India looked to wrap up their extended home season with a huge win over Sri Lanka in the third Test at New Delhi. The match eventually ended in a draw and the team celebrated Jadeja’s birthday with cake at the Kotla pavilion.
LUCKY WICKET
Jadeja was literally ‘gifted’ the key wicket of Sri Lanka batting mainstay Angelo Mathews, who was caught in slips by Ajinkya Rahane. West Indian umpire Joel Wilson had failed to spot that Jadeja had overstepped, which came nothing less than a gift for the Indian all-rounder.
Angelo Mathews’ wicket was crucial from India’s perspective as he had scored a fabulous hundred in the first innings to help Sri Lanka put up a strong resistance against the Indian juggernaut.
The 29-year-old Jadeja has so far played 34 Tests, 136 ODIs and 40 T20Is for India. Ridiculed for his non-performances in the early stages of his career, Jadeja fixated himself in the Indian Test team in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2012-13 — a series in which he made the Australian captain Michael Clarke his bunny.
With nine 5-wicket hauls, Jadeja has snaffled 160 wickets in Tests, and has 155 dismissals in ODIs as well as 31 in T20Is.
Ravindra Jadeja has scored 1,167 runs in Test cricket at 29.17, 1,914 runs in ODIs at 31.37 and 116 runs in T20Is in 18 innings.