New Delhi, Sept 30: Ravindra Jadeja has become the seventh Indian cricketer to take 300 wickets in Test cricket during the fourth day of the second Test match between India and Bangladesh at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur. The 35-year-old spinner achieved this milestone by dismissing Khaled Ahmed.

Jadeja is the first left-arm spinner from India to reach this landmark, doing so in just 73 Test matches. He has taken 300 wickets at an impressive average of 23.98 and a strike rate of 58.10. Along with his bowling prowess, Jadeja has also contributed significantly with the bat, scoring 3,122 Test runs at an average of 36.72, which includes four centuries and 21 half-centuries.

Among Indian bowlers, Jadeja is the fourth fastest to reach 300 wickets, following R. Ashwin (54 matches), Anil Kumble (66), and Harbhajan Singh (72).

Jadeja’s all-round skills extend beyond Test cricket. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he has scored 2,756 runs and taken 220 wickets. In Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), he has made 515 runs and claimed 54 wickets, establishing himself as a key player across all formats.

Rajkot, Feb 18 (IANS) Local lad Ravindra Jadeja shone at his home ground with a five-wicket haul to help India hammer England by 434 runs in the third Test at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here on Sunday.

It was another day of domination for India, where Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a phenomenal unbeaten double-century, the second of his Test career, while Shubman Gill (91) and Sarfaraz Khan (68 not out) made fifties as the hosts declared their second innings on 430/4, giving England a massive target of 557.

In reply, England crumbled under the pressure of runs and were all out for 122, with Jadeja taking 5-41 as India registered their biggest win by runs in Tests to go 2-1 up in the five-match series. From 33/3 on Day One, India have now gone on to win at Rajkot with a day to spare. It is also England’s second-biggest defeat in Tests, with their implosion coming under the bright sunshine of Rajkot.

Chasing 557, England were off to a watchful start, in complete opposite of their aggressive nature. Zak Crawley took two boundaries but was involved in a horrible mix-up as Ben Duckett went in pursuit of a single after pushing the ball to mid-wicket.

Crawley sent Duckett back, but it was too late as Mohammed Siraj fired in a throw and wicket-keeper Dhurv Jurel rushed towards the stumps and collected the ball in motion to break the stumps quickly. At the stroke of tea, Crawley was trapped LBW by Jasprit Bumrah by a sharp nip-backer, which England couldn’t overturn on review.

Post-tea, England continued to fall like nine pins. Ollie Pope tried a cut shot off Jadeja but was caught at first slip. Jonny Bairstow tried to sweep off Jadeja but was trapped plumb LBW. Joe Root battled for 40 balls before missing Jadeja on the sweep and was trapped LBW. Capitan Ben Stokes was beaten on the sweep against Kuldeep Yadav and became the third batter in the innings to be trapped LBW. Rehan Ahmed went for a big shot down the ground off Kuldeep but found long-on.

Ben Foakes and Tom Hartley put some resistance with a 32-run standoff 67 balls for the eighth wicket, but the former gave a thick edge on a cut to an impressive Jurel behind the stumps. Ravichandran Ashwin came back to take Tom Hartley’s inside edge to the stumps and Jadeja ended the match by ending Mark Wood’s cameo of 33 off 15 balls when the batter holed out to long-off to complete a dominating win for India.

Brief scores:

India 445 & 430/4 dec in 98 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 214 not out, Shubman Gill 91; Sarfaraz Khan 68 not out; Tom Hartley 1-78, Rehan Ahmed 1-108) beat England 319 & 122 all out in 39.4 overs (Mark Wood 33; Ravindra Jadeja 5-41, Kuldeep Yadav 2-19) by 434 runs

Rajkot, Feb 15 (IANS) Captain Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja smashed centuries each, while Sarfaraz Khan sparkled on his Test debut with 62 off 66 balls as India reached 326/5 in 86 overs at stumps on Day One of the third Test against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here on Thursday.

While Rohit made 131, Jadeja was unbeaten on 110, as the duo added 204 runs for the fourth wicket, after India were reduced to 33/3 in the first 45 minutes on a pitch which flattened out as the day progressed.

After the Rohit-Jadeja partnership, also India’s first century stand of the current series ended, Sarfaraz played immaculately against the England spinners, making a 48-ball fifty on Test debut.

But he was run out after a huge mix-up with Jadeja, who was on 99. Jadeja eventually got his century to be undefeated at the end of day one’s play, which sets up the game well for India to make a grand total in their first innings.

The early morning moisture on the Rajkot pitch benefitted Mark Wood, who came into England’s playing eleven in place of spinner Shoaib Bashir. He drew first blood when he angled across a delivery which caught Yashasvi Jaiswal at the crease and the left-hander could only edge behind to first slip. In his next over, Wood had an uncomfortable Shubman Gill nicking behind a good length delivery which nipped away to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.

England had their third wicket in the ninth over when Hartley got a delivery to jump off a length, which gripped and turned very sharply to take Rajat Patidar’s edge towards cover. After being hit on the helmet grille by Wood in a short-ball play, with three fielders stationed deep in the leg-side, Rohit tried to unsettle Hartley with cut and sweep for boundaries.

He even got a life at 27 in the same over when Joe Root dropped his catch at first slip on an attempted slog. Luck continued to favour Rohit when survived a close lbw shout while dancing down the pitch against Anderson.

Rohit then brought out his good-looking punch, loft down the pitch, pulls and sweeps to reach his fifty in 71 balls. From the other end, Jadeja, promoted to No.5, remained rock-solid, driving and punching Root for a brace of fours to be an ideal partner for Rohit in leading the recovery act for India.

After lunch, Rohit and Jadeja were in control of their approach, rotating the strike well and putting the bad balls away to get runs easily as the pitch began to flatten out. Jadeja edged a four off Wood while Rohit danced down the pitch to loft Hartley over long-on for six, before glancing Anderson for a boundary, as the duo continued their recovery act for India.

Shortly after India got its first century-plus stand of the series through the Rohit-Jadeja stand, boundaries continued to flow as Jadeja got his fifty off 97 balls, with England not finding much help off the pitch to test the batters.

Rohit then greeted Root with a swing over long-on for six and whipped Ahmed wide over mid-on for a boundary. Jadeja then drove Root powerfully past mid-on for four and pulled him over mid-wicket for six to get the second session in India’s favour -– 92 runs for no wicket -- with more hard work under the sun awaiting England.

After tea, Rohit reached his 11th Test century with a brace off Ahmed and England lost a review against him in desperation. The runs continued to flow for the duo as 50 runs came in the first 11 overs of the session, till Wood was rewarded for his persistence when Rohit miscued a pull to mid-wicket.

Sarfaraz had a few nervous moments, especially with Wood bowling short balls, before settling himself in nicely against the spinners. He showed good footwork, used the depth of the crease well, and was fine in picking the lengths and playing with soft hands to manoeuvre against the spinners while taking calculated risks.

It meant that Sarfaraz was flawless with his lofts down the ground, pulls and sweeps to reach his first Test fifty with seven fours and a six in front of his father and wife. Sarfaraz would dazzle with boundaries off Anderson and Hartley, even as Jadeja slowed down and survived on 93 when England chose not to take a review off Hartley, with replays later showing he would have been out lbw.

Sarfaraz was then sold down the river by Jadeja in pursuit of taking a single for the century, as Wood aimed a direct hit from mid-on at the non-striker’s end, ending the debutant’s innings. That run-out of Sarfaraz brought out an angry reaction from Rohit, who threw his cap in anger in the dressing room.

A ball later, Jadeja would reach his fourth Test hundred and brought out the sword-like celebration, but it was subdued. He would collect two more boundaries before stumps arrived on a fruitful day for India, who would need Jadeja and nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav to go big on day two, with debutant Dhruv Jurel still there to bat.

Brief scores:

India 326/5 in 86 overs (Rohit Sharma 131, Ravindra Jadeja 110 not out, Sarfaraz Khan 62; Mark Wood 3-69, Tom Hartley 1-81) against England.

Rajkot, Feb 10 (IANS) KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have been named in the final three Test squad against England having recovered from the quadriceps and hamstring injuries as Virat Kohli remains out due to family reasons.

The return of Rahul and Jadeja injects much-needed experience into the squad, offering a boost to India's campaign against a determined English side. However, their participation hinges on clearance from the medical team, underscoring the cautious approach adopted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding player fitness.

While Rahul and Jadeja's inclusion brings a sense of stability, the absence of key players looms large over the Indian camp. Mohammed Shami's continued absence due to an ankle injury leaves a void in the fast-bowling department, while the unavailability of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer further complicates the team's composition.

Kohli's absence, owing to a family emergency, deprives India of his batting prowess, adding to the challenges faced by captain Rohit Sharma.

Meanwhile, Iyer's withdrawal due to back stiffness opens the door for Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan to stake their claim in the middle order.

In a bid to bolster the bowling attack, Mohammed Siraj returns to the squad after being rested for the second Test, while Akash Deep replaces Avesh Khan to provide additional firepower.

The third Test of the series, currently locked at 1-1, starts on February 15 in Rajkot.

India squad for the final three Tests:Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep

Rajkot, Feb 9 (IANS) The Jadeja family dispute, which first surfaced during the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, has taken a dramatic turn.

Anirudh Singh Jadeja, the father of ace India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, has publicly accused his daughter-in-law and BJP MLA Rivaba Jadeja of creating discord within the family.

The allegations were levelled in a recent newspaper interview, triggering an exchange of words between the Jadeja family members.

Anirudh Singh accused Rivaba of being the 'root cause' of the family's estrangement, claiming that the issues began shortly after her marriage to Ravindra Jadeja.

He alleged that Rivaba demanded the ownership of family assets, including Ravindra Jadeja’s restaurant, to be transferred to her name just a month into their marriage.

He also claimed that Rivaba's family used Ravindra Jadeja's earnings to acquire luxurious items, such as an Audi and a Rs 2 crore bungalow.

He also lamented not having seen his granddaughter for the past five years, even as he praised his daughter Naynaba for her role in Ravindra Jadeja's cricketing success, hinting at the deep-seated issues dividing the family.

In response to his father's accusations, Ravindra Jadeja took to social media and termed the interview as biased, defending his and his wife's reputation against the allegations.

The India cricketer said the accusations were baseless as he expressed his disappointment over the attempts to malign his family's image.

He also emphasised his wish to keep certain matters private despite having much to say on the issue.

Tarouba (Trinidad), Aug 1 (IANS) In a robust reply to former captain Kapil Dev's remarks about the Indian team becoming arrogant due to the influence of money, star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja brushed aside the criticism and said such comments crop up when a team loses a match.

In a recent interview with The Week magazine, Kapil commented that the current bunch of Indian cricketers seem to have become arrogant as they seem to think they know everything.

"Sometimes, when too much money comes, arrogance comes. These cricketers, they feel they know everything,” Kapil had said.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the crucial third ODI against West Indies in Trinidad, Jadeja made it clear that the team is fully committed to securing victories for India, emphasising that there are no personal agendas among them.

"Everyone has their own opinion. It’s nothing like that. Everybody is enjoying their game and working hard. Players are not taking their place in the team for granted. Whenever they are getting chances, they are giving their 100 per cent and trying to win games for India," Jadeja said.

"Such comments generally come when the Indian team lost a match. Nobody is arrogant. Everybody is representing India. We are working hard and playing for the country. There is no personal agenda,” he added.

The star all-rounder also defended coach Rahul Dravid’s decision to experiment excessively with the team combination in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies

After rejigging their batting line-up in the first ODI, India continued their experimentation as they rested Rohit and Kohli for the second ODI and the move backfired as the Caribbean team cruised to a six-wicket triumph that squared the series at 1-1 on Saturday.

"This is the series before Asia Cup and World Cup, where we can experiment, we can try out new combinations. Once we will go to play Asia Cup and World Cup, we won’t be able to experiment with anything. It’s a good thing that we will get the idea about what is team’s balance, strengths and weaknesses," Jadeja told reporters.

The 34-year-old further said that the team management already has a clear idea of the team combination that will take the field in the Asia Cup.

"Captain and team management know what combination they are going to play. There is no confusion at all. We didn’t lose the match because of the experiments, sometimes the condition also matters. In my opinion, one loss is not going to create any confusion or doubt. We have already decided what is going to be the combination in the Asia Cup," said Jadeja.

With the series currently tied 1-1, the deciding ODI of the three-match series will be played at the Brian Lara Stadium here on August 1.

New Delhi, June 5 (IANS) Ricky Ponting has urged India to include both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin with the former playing primarily as a batter at No. 6 for the ICC World Test Championship Final.

The Indian spin duo emerge as crucial players after they showcased exceptional skills when India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 2-1 series triumph over Australia earlier this year.

The last time India toured England in 2021-22, Jadeja was preferred over Ashwin for all five Tests. The all-rounder had minimal impact with the ball in that series, taking six wickets at an average of 56.16 but he compiled 287 runs which included a ton in the rescheduled fifth Test last year.

It is Jadeja's talents with the bat, rather than the ball, that former Australia skipper Ponting believes could be critical to his spin partner Ashwin being included in the India XI for the WTC Final.

"I actually think they will pick Jadeja and Ashwin. Jadeja can hold down that No.6 batting spot. His batting has improved that much that they can pick him as a batter that might just bowl a few overs if required," Ponting said on The ICC Review.

During India's home series against Australia earlier this year, Ashwin showcased his dominance by claiming an outstanding total of 25 wickets, which not only led the series but also earned him a shared Player of the Series accolade alongside Jadeja.

Although Jadeja and Ashwin flourished on spin-friendly pitches during the series, it is worth noting that Ashwin has demonstrated his ability to excel in diverse conditions, accumulating an impressive tally of 61 wickets in 13 Tests, the third-highest in the current WTC cycle.

"There is no doubt that Ashwin is a more skilled and better Test bowler than what Jadeja is.

"But if Jadeja can hold down that batting spot, and then as the game goes on getting into the fourth and fifth day, if it does start to turn, then you've got that really high class second spin bowling option. That's certainly what I'd be doing," Ponting said.

Australia are expected to select one specialist spinner for the winner-takes-all WTC Final with stalwart Nathan Lyon all but certain to get the nod.

Lyon matched Jadeja's 22 wickets in the recent Test series between the two WTC finalists and spun Australia to victory in the third clash with match figures of 11/99.

The 35-year-old off-spinner also leads all-comers across the current WTC cycle with 83 wickets from 19 Tests.

"I judge spin on what Indian subcontinental batsmen normally talk about when they talk about facing spin bowling. Everyone I've spoken to from India or Sri Lanka, and those sorts of places, rate Nathan Lyon really highly," Ponting said.

Chennai, April 12 (IANS) Mahendra Singh Dhoni is on the verge of adding another feather to his cap in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) as he is set to make his 200th appearance as the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday here at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

The former India skipper already holds the record for the most-capped player in the history of IPL with 237 caps, out of which he has captained on 213 occasions. Besides CSK, Dhoni has also led Pune Supergiants in 2016.

The experienced CSK and India all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, praised Dhoni's record and referred to him as a legend in both Indian cricket and CSK. He also expressed that defeating the RR would be the ideal way to honour Dhoni on his 200th match as captain.

"What can I say! He is a legend of not only CSK, he is also a legend of Indian cricket. I would like to wish him good luck. Hopefully, we will win the game tomorrow and give it as a gift to him on his 200th match as captain. Hope to continue the momentum of how we have played in the last two games," Jadeja told reporters ahead of the match against RR.

Reflecting on the Chepauk wicket, Jadeja said the game against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was not like the usual Chepauk wicket and the bowler had to adjust according to the situation.

"If you are playing in Chennai, you have to bowl according to the wicket. In Chennai, the wickets are favouring spinners, so I don't think we can try too many different things. We can just stick to the basic line and length. It also depends on the field we are bowling with.

Last game we played here, the wicket was very good. Both teams scored 200 plus. It was not like a typical Chennai wicket. So, I think this wicket will also play the same. It might be on the slower side, but it is what it is. You have to adjust according to the wicket," Jadeja said.

Indian cricket players Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja celebrated their victory against the Australian cricket team in the Border Gavaskar series in a unique way. The two players shared a video on social media in which they were seen reenacting the famous dialogue from Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar's movie, Rawdi Rathore. In the video, Ashwin and Jadeja are taking down Australian wickets with the 'Ek Tera Ek Mera' dialogue. The video has since gone viral on social media, with fans enjoying the playful antics of the two cricketers.

India's victory in the Border Gavaskar Test series

India recently won the Border Gavaskar Test series against Australia by a score of 2-1. Throughout the series, Ashwin and Jadeja showcased their exceptional spin bowling skills, causing significant trouble for the Australian batsmen. In total, Ashwin took 25 wickets, while Jadeja took a total of 22 wickets. The two players jointly became the Player of the Series. Together, they took 47 wickets in the series, with both bowlers taking the first and second positions in the list of bowlers who took the most wickets.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cpun0PyjpO4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

India to face Australia in the WTC final

Following their victory in the Border Gavaskar series, the Indian cricket team has advanced to the final of the World Test Championship. The Indian team will face Australia in the final match, which is set to take place at The Oval in England on June 7. This marks the second consecutive time that the Indian team has reached the final of the WTC, after losing to New Zealand in the previous final.

New Delhi: After registering the clinical six-wicket over Australia in the second Test of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy, India all-rounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja engaged in a funny banter where the former asked whether "Jadeja bowled well just to keep him away from the bowling crease."

Coming off the six-month injury layoff, Jadeja has been sensational in the first two Tests as he was adjudged Player of the Match in both the Tests.

The 34-year-old scalped seven wickets and scored 70 runs in the first Test in Nagpur and he picked up 10 wickets, including a career-best of 7/42 in the second innings of the Delhi Test.

"Sir, I am not getting a bowl. Are you bowling like this so that Axar doesn't get a chance to bowl?" Axar jokingly asked Jadeja in a video posted by BCCI.TV on Twitter.

Replying to the question, Jadeja said: "They (the Australians) prefer playing the sweep and reverse sweep. My effort was to bowl stump to stump. If they miss and the ball stays low, then the ball is bound to hit the stumps. That's what happened today when five balls hit the stumps."

On the other hand, Axar has been sensational with the bat, chipping in with match-defining knocks lower down the order. He scored 84 in the first Test in Nagpur and made a crucial 74-runs, establishing a 114-run stand with Ashwin (37) for the eighth wicket to take India close to Australia's first-innings total.

Showering praise on Axar's batting, Jadeja said: "It's okay that you are not getting a bowl. But when you are batting, it looks like you are batting on a different pitch. It literally feels like there are no demons on the pitch when you are batting.

"It feels like the Australian bowlers are ordinary when you're batting and it doesn't look like the pitch has turn and low bounce."

With the six-wicket win on Sunday in the second Test, India held an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series. The third Test of the series will take place from March 1 to 5 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.

(IANS)

New Delhi: Riding on left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja's best bowling figures in an innings in Test cricket (7/42) along with Ravichandran Ashwin's spin masterclass, India defeated Australia by six wickets in the second Test within three days to take 2-0 lead in the four-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, here on Sunday.

In a session, where action happened at a frenetic pace, left-arm spinner Jadeja took seven wickets (7/42) while off-spinner Ashwin picked three wickets (3/59) to send Australia crashing to 113 all out in their second innings, 30 minutes before lunch happened.

Ashwin set up the collapse to pick 3/59, before Jadeja ran through the Australian batting line-up and finished with figures of 7/42 as Australia crashed to 113 all out in their second innings, giving India a target of 115, which they completed in 28.4 overs.

The win also means India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy too, with two matches still left.

Post lunch, resuming from 14/1, India began with an attacking intent. Cheteshwar Pujara danced down the pitch to whip Matthew Kuhnemann through mid-wicket for four. Rohit Sharma came out in the next over to loft over wide mid-wicket for six off Nathan Lyon, followed by paddling off him for four more.

Rohit then danced down the pitch against Kuhnemann, slamming a six over the bowler's head. But he was run-out in a horrible mix-up and sacrificed himself to keep Pujara at the crease. Pujara and Virat Kohli were positive in their footwork, defence and got the boundaries too.

While Pujara danced down the pitch to loft Lyon over mid-on, Kohli got close to the ball and used his supple wrists to chip a drive past the off-spinner. He followed it up with a gentle tickle through fine leg and placing a flick between two fielders in the square leg region.

Kohli fell for 20 when he was beaten through the air and on the outside edge by Todd Murphy and was stumped from behind by Alex Carey. Pujara and Shreyas Iyer continued to get boundaries on a fast clip -- while the former was pristine in punching off Murphy, the latter was splendid in cutting off Lyon and dancing down the pitch against Murphy to get four and six respectively.

In a bid to attack against Lyon, Iyer danced down the pitch again for an expansive slog, but holed out to deep mid-wicket. KS Bharat was gorgeous in driving twice through the extra cover against Lyon and Kuhnemann.

He would go on to drive through cover again off Kuhnemann for boundary and brought the crowd on its feet with a slog-sweep over deep mid-wicket for six off part-timer Travis Head. Pujara, playing in his 100th Test, finished off the chase by dancing down the pitch and flicking over mid-wicket to give India another victory in the series.

Brief scores: Australia 263 and 113 in 31.3 overs (Travis Head 43, Marnus Labuschagne 35; Ravindra Jadeja 7/42, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/59) lost to India 262 in 83.3 overs and 118/4 in 28.4 overs (Rohit Sharma 31, Cheteshwar Pujara 31 not out; Nathan Lyon 2/49, Todd Murphy 1/22) by six wickets.