When 20-Year-Old Ravindra Jadeja Scored Unbeaten Fifty In His First ODI Against SL
Ravindra Jadeja (X.com)
On this day in 2009, Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja took his first steps in International cricket. He made his debut in international cricket in an ODI match against Sri Lanka on 8th February 2009.
In his first-ever ODI, the southpaw played a pivotal knock of 60 runs in 77 balls, including five fours. 15 years later, today, he is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders the cricketing world has ever seen. Jadeja is one of the few players in world cricket who is equally handy in all three aspects of the game i.e. batting, bowling, and fielding.
Apart from his batting and spin bowling, Jadeja has received accolades numerous times from cricket pundits for his exceptional fielding abilities. Hailed as one of the quickest fielders on the outfield, Jadeja’s rocket-speed arm is second to none.
It is worth mentioning that Ravindra Jadeja was the vice-captain of the Indian team that lifted the Under-19 World Cup Under Virat Kohli in 2008. Chennai Super Kings bought his services at the 2012 IPL auction and he went on to become one of the greatest players ever to play for the franchise.
Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja made a name for himself in international cricket. His ability to bowl at a quick pace and consistently pitch the ball at disciplined lengths makes a him lethal force with the ball across formats.
On Indian pitches where the ball grips and turns, Jadeja becomes extremely hard to face. Though, it took him some time to make his way into the Test team but when the opportunity came, he grabbed it with both hands.
He made his Test debut on 13th December 2012 against England at Nagpur. In his illustrious career thus far, he has represented India in 67 Tests and 197 ODIs, scoring 2804 and 2756 runs, respectively. He averages 36.41 in Tests and 32.42 in ODIs.
Besides, in 64 T20 internationals, Ravindra Jadeja has scored 457 runs at an average of 24.5. The southpaw has picked 275 wickets in Tests, 220 wickets in ODIs, and 51 wickets in T20Is.
Jadeja last played a Test match for India in the ongoing Test series against England. He played the first Test and scored a crucial knock of 87 runs with the bat. Additionally, he picked a total of 5 wickets in the Test match. Unfortunately, he was ruled out of the second Test due to injury and is likely to make his comeback in the fourth Test.
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