Jadeja and his bane of being just too good sees him fall painfully short of entering cricketing folklore at Lords.
Jadeja, and the curse of being so good.
A cricketer’s cricketer is Ravindra Jadeja. He is the first name that many people desire on their squad sheet, with the exception of some crazy geniuses. He is a reliable, strong player who makes numerous contributions.
Everything he does appears natural and repeatable, with the exception of using his bat like a sword, which can break weaker wrists. He can strike the ball a significant distance out of the bed and continue to do so till he pulls water out of the earth. In the outfield, he is an incredible fielder.
Jadeja doesn’t have to perform trigger motions or premeditate as a batter. He has developed and trained his physical talents, which make up a large portion of it. He rarely appears rushed. He bats with purity.
Jadeja has been the best all-around player in the game’s most difficult format for years. Additionally, he may be the closest thing to an all-arounder in the traditional definition of the phrase. In practically any situation, he may be selected as a top-six specialised batter. Except in situations where it is hard for spinners to bowl, he can usually be chosen just as a bowler.
Only five guys have bowled more deliveries in Test cricket since Jadeja’s debut. Although it took him some time to improve his batting, he has been averaging 42.01 since 2018, the year he achieved his first century. Among those who have scored at least 2000 runs throughout this time, that ranks in the top 20.
Jadeja hasn’t, however, given the average viewer a standout performance to remember him by. It’s the drawback of having such talent. You win huge when you win. Because he doesn’t play in the epic matches that Ben Stokes, for example, does, his innumerable five-fors and runs at home are mostly taken for granted in popular memory. Or, before him, Andrew Flintoff.
Jadeja achieved her fourth consecutive half-century with this. He calmed India with his steady batting at a time when it was difficult to think clearly. India was on the verge of losing the match when he entered. They had been the superior team for lengthier stretches of time in this test once more.
Jadeja had lost his last recognised batter, Nitish Kumar Reddy, as he left for lunch. India still needed to win by 81 runs. While he was at the wicket, he scored 61 of the 99 runs that were scored. Out of the 55 overs bowled during that period, he faced more than 30.
Jadeja hasn’t needed to constantly improve himself because he is so traditional and inherently talented. It irritates those who watch him at times. With DRS taking control, he no longer uses his bat next to the pad to defend spin, which has been eliminated from the game. Nevertheless, he is among the top Test players available because of his excellent foundation.
This strength has the potential to occasionally turn into a minor vulnerability. First of all, let’s be clear that Lord’s doesn’t actually have any money. Running the ball behind square is difficult due to the lushness of the square and the bowler’s velocity. Since there is no assurance that the old balls would go, even Rishabh Pant doesn’t charge against them because they are soft.
Jadeja was handcuffed after England set defensive fields for him. However, Jadeja was ready to accomplish it in singles. He determined that under these circumstances, he could not afford to take the chance. He was strong and disciplined enough to keep showing up and support himself until he was the last man remaining.
What began as a simple “let’s see how far we can get” turned into a devastatingly close loss. Jadeja was on the verge of becoming a household name.
When the ball viciously bounced onto the leg stump after a seemingly sound defensive shot from Mohammed Siraj, who was on his haunches and nearly hurt himself pounding his bat, Jadeja showed little emotion. “What did I do to deserve this?” it seemed to question.
In the series, his team has outperformed their rivals for a far longer period of time. However, they are now trailing 2-1. India only needs to look at Jadeja if they want to be motivated to show up and accomplish the same things they did well in Manchester.