He was part of the Indian team that won the under-19 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, and stood on the podium with his Rajasthan Royals’ team mates after winning the inaugural IPL. He ended the year on a high, claiming nine wickets and scoring 55 in double-quick time to ensure his team’s passage into the Ranji Trophy semi-finals.Year 2008 has been memorable for Saurashtra’s Ravindra Jadeja. Ask the 20-year old whether winning the Ranji Trophy is his next goal and he quips, “Phir to life ban jaayega (That will make my life).” Jadeja has also been the most successful all-rounder in the competition this season, having scored 729 runs and picking up 39 wickets.He credits his improved bowling to playing eight four-day matches on the trot, he reveals, as it has helped him adapt to different versions of the game. “Last season I played in a number of one-day games and was bowling really flat. Now I give the ball more flight and the results have been great,” he says.Jadeja admits that the pull shot had been a detriment last season, but is quick to insist he has worked hard on fine-tuning it. “I want to make sure that I keep the pull shot down, so that there is no danger of being caught in the outfield,” he says.When the left-hander walked in on Monday after Shitanshu Kotak was out, his team was still in a tricky situation, despite a good start. “I was under pressure when I went out to bat, but I decided to play my natural game and not worry too much about the match situation. And once I connected with a pull shot early on, things just fell into place,” explains Jadeja, whose bravado did lead to his downfall. “That ball just bounced on me and I got the top edge. But I was confident that the likes of Jaydev Shah and Sagar Jogiyani would take us home,” he adds.Named the ‘Rockstar’ of Rajasthan Royals by Shane Warne and impressing the Australian legend, the youngster is adamant that his New Year resolution is to continue performing, this time in order to grab the attention of national selectors.
