Ravindra Jadeja has been an integral part of India’s Test Team for some time now. During the second Test match in the Bangladesh series at Kanpur, Ravindra Jadeja completed 300 wickets in Test cricket by taking Bangladesh’s last wicket in their first innings.

After just 74 Test, Ravindra Jadeja became the quickest Asian to reach 300 wickets and 3000 Test runs and the second overall behind Sir Ian Botham who took 72 Test matches to achieve this unique double.

Ravindra Jadeja achieved the unique Test double feat of 3000 runs and 300 wickets and did it quicker than Imran Khan who achieved the same in 74 Test matches.

Only 3 Indian players have now achieved this unique double feat. They are Kapil Dev (83 Tests) and Ravichandran Ashwin (88 Tests).

Jaddu is also the 7^th Indian bowler to have taken 300 wickets.

The southpaw now joins an elite list of Indian cricketers who have 300 wickets or more including Anil Kumble (619), Ravichandran Ashwin (524), Kapil Dev (434), Harbhajan Singh (417), Ishant Sharma (311) and Zaheer Khan (311). This makes him the first left-arm orthodox in the list.

After being part of the winning 2024 T20 World Cup team, Ravindra Jadeja retired from the shortest format to focus on Test and ODI cricket.

When he made his Test debut, he was neither considered an allrounder material nor groomed as one but more of a left-arm orthodox.

However, there was no doubt that Ravindra Jadeja from his debut was considered a gun fielder who could take any fielding position in the ground.

He was always considered a bowler who could dabble a bit with the bat, an impression Jaddu worked hard to correct.

Ravindra was mocked by fans and a section of the press considered him as an overrated player in the Indian Team.

With this unique Test double of 300 wickets and 3000 runs, he has not only answered his critics who considered him a bits-and-pieces player but also shown the value of his contribution to Indian Test cricket.

The transformation of Ravindra Jadeja is inspirational. He not only improved his bowling over the years but worked hard on his batting which made him a genuine all-rounder.

Ravindra Jadeja is probably the best fielder in world cricket today and this additional skill set adds another feather in the cap of this unique allrounder.

Ravindra Jadeja also holds the highest score (175*) in a Test Innings batting at the no 7 position.

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel called him a “complete package”.

While Ravindra Jadeja was the junior partner to teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, he never got overshadowed and kept his senior partner on his toes when it came to performance in Test Cricket.

Ravindra Jadeja was a captain’s player being the quickest fielder in the team along with being a useful allrounder in the lower middle order.

Another unique feat of Ravindra Jadeja is that out of  220 scalps in the 303 wickets has come in Test wins with a 73% success rate, which is the highest among all spinners in cricket history. Only pacers Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee are ahead in Test win percentage.

Ravindra Jadeja’s performance in various conditions

The above record proves that Ravindra Jadeja was a player for all seasons and in all conditions. Over the years, Indian players were known to be poor travellers. Jaddu contributed both with the ball and bat when needed.

Early days

Ravindra was selected for a National Cricket Academy camp and was then picked for the 2006 U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka at the age of 17, which he played alongside Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara.

India finished runners-up with Jadeja impressing in the final against Pakistan with three wickets.

Ravindra Jadeja did play the following U19 World Cup in 2008 under captain Virat Kohli. He was also made the vice-captain of his side. India went on to win the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup with Jadeja playing a vital role in the tournament with the ball. He took 10 wickets with an average of 13.60.

First-class cricket

Ravindra Jadeja made his debut in first-class cricket in the 2006-07 Duleep Trophy for West Zone and for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy.

In 2012, Jadeja became the eighth player in history, and the first Indian player, to score three first-class triple centuries in first-class cricket. He is the only Indian to achieve this record.

He joined an elite group of famous cricketers with similar feat like  Don Bradman, Brian Lara, Bill Ponsford, Wally Hammond, WG Grace, Graeme Hick and Mike Hussey.

Ravindra Jadeja in IPL

• 4 IPL trophies
• 3 with Chennai Super Kings
• 1 with Rajasthan Royals (Inaugural IPL)
• He single-handedly won the 2023 IPL trophy for CSK when he hit a boundary off the last ball of the finals.
• The late Shane Warne realized his potential very early in Rajasthan Royal and nicknamed him “The Rockstar”.
• CSK second highest wicket-taker behind only Dwayne Bravo (140).
• Jadeja holds the record for scoring 36 off RCB’s Harshal Patel in a seven-ball over in 2021. The over went for 37 in all.