Can bat, can bowl, can field: Ravindra Jadeja burnishes all-rounder status

India added 346 runs in their first innings against Sri Lanka after losing half their side for 228, and still had two wickets remaining when they declared on 574 on the second afternoon. And although Rishabh Pant was responsible for flattening a tiring attack short on one bowler on Day One, India went on to add 242 after his dismissal in the first over of the second new ball. Jadeja’s effort that lasted for five and a half hours in his first Test since last November was primarily responsible for stretching the Indian innings in the region of 600.

WATCH – 6-4-4: Jadeja’s one over dominance

One maximum and two boundaries – @imjadeja was severe on Embuldeniya in one over. Three classy shots in three deliveries.

📽️ https://t.co/Oky923uBGS #INDvSL

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 5, 2022

Jadeja’s endurance and fitness shown in how he kept pushing R Ashwin (61 off 82) for twos during their 130-run seventh-wicket partnership. Or in how he jumped out with vigour to slam Lasith Embuldeniya for a six that easily cleared long-on just before the declaration came.

An entirely different Jadeja was on show on the first afternoon, when he had a bit of a recovery job to do. Pant had anyway gone ballistic in the second half of his innings, so there was no need for Jadeja to try and force it. While Pant was around, in fact, Jadeja had hit only three fours in 67 deliveries. Even those had come only when the spinners bowled too short, allowing him to cut or pull. He had still got along to 35 at a fair clip, always on the lookout for singles. He’d open the face late on the forward defensive to squeeze out a run behind point. Or tap the ball softly in front of square on leg, and hare back for the second, making it comfortably.

150 for @imjadeja and he brings this up in style with a maximum 👏💪

Live – https://t.co/XaUgOQVg3O #INDvSL @Paytm pic.twitter.com/TMrfFi2YZ5

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 5, 2022

What stands out about Jadeja these days is an absolute calmness while facing pace, although the ball wasn’t exactly flying off this particular pitch. That wasn’t the case in his early years, when he’d often look helplessly caught in the headlights. He would keep getting rushed for a while before a futile swish of the bat would give it away. Nowadays, most of the swishing happens with that sword celebration.
When asked what had changed in his preparation against pace, Jadeja said, “I now try to keep myself relaxed no matter how much the pressure, so that my natural ability to play my shots can come to the fore. As a batsman, I give myself time, I don’t try to rush my shots. I take a look at how the wicket is behaving and select my shots accordingly.”

The left-arm angle of Vishwa Fernando did bother him a bit, especially in the morning with a five-over young second new ball. There were a couple of inside edges that eluded the stumps, but that much luck is to be expected if you have to bat for as long as 228 balls.

‘Rockstar’ @imjadeja 👏👏@Paytm #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/JG25othE56

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 5, 2022

A feature of his knock was how he’d get his front foot just outside the line of off stump to rule out the lbw. He did that right through against both seamers and spinners.

The crowd-pleasing hitting would come later but foremost, this was an exercise in discipline.

Barely did he hit the ball in the air until he was well past his second Test hundred. He was on 126 when he skipped down the track to Embuldeniya to hit his first six. Before that, the cut and the pull were his main attacking strokes, and the drive would also come in eventually. The conviction on his pull to fast bowlers is something to be seen, it was visible in the preceding T20Is in Dharamsala too.

In Mohali, there was the occasional pouncing upon the really bad delivery that is crucial to keep a Test innings moving. When the left-arm spinner went too far down his pads, he’d make sure he beat short fine leg as well as deep square leg.

He shielded Mohammed Shami for a while during their unbroken 103-run ninth-wicket stand, but seeing the fast bowler wasn’t in much trouble, he trusted him to turn over the strike.

The three triple-centuries in the Ranji Trophy were ridiculed by many when they came, but if nothing else, they had highlighted Jadeja’s ability to bat long. When reminded of those knocks on Saturday, he said, “I had a lot more chances with Saurashtra because I batted at No 4 so I could take my time to build an innings. Also, there would be three-four batsmen to come after me. Here I bat at No.7 so it is different.”

Despite batting lower, he still faces an average of 60 deliveries per dismissal in Tests, a figure that has increased to 92 since England 2018.

Eventually, Kuldeep Yadav would run in with a message from skipper Rohit Sharma about the impending declaration, but Jadeja said that the communication had been two-way. “The ball had started to turn a bit. I sent a message that something was happening and we could get them in to bat. It would not be easy for them as they were tired after fielding for so long.”

WATCH – Jadeja’s 2-ball drama

First ball – Huge appeal for LBW, turned down. Change of fortunes, huge appeal and given OUT LBW. No stopping @imjadeja.

📽️📽️https://t.co/q5TTHLTOj7 #INDvSL

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 5, 2022

The golden arm of Jadeja almost struck with his first ball, and sent back Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne off the second with some sharp turn. Jadeja is into his 34th year, but the sprints from backward point or square leg have the same concentrated energy, and a career that has had to operate under the shadow of Ashwin keeps getting more and more productive.