One of the world’s top all-rounder and a dashing fielder Ravindra Jadeja will be 31 years old on 6th December. Here are some of the interesting facts about India’s one of the most dependable players.
1. Jadeja came from a humble background and his father was a watchman for a private security agency. His father wanted Jadeja to join the army but Ravindra Jadeja’s first love was cricket and he used to get the support of his mother Lata. Lata died in an accident in 2005 which made Jadeja devastated as he thought of quitting the game he loved. But his sister Naina, who is a nurse by profession, motived him and bring him back to the field.
2. Jadeja was selected for the Indian national Under-19 team at the age of 16 and belonged to a rare group of players who have played two under-19 World Cups and was part of the 2006 and 2008 squads. India reached finals in both the editions and won the trophy under Virat Kohli in 2008. With Indian board decided to restrict players from playing multiple under-19 World Cups, this remained some kind of rare achievement for Jadeja.
3. 2007-08 was a busy period for India. They won the inaugural T20 World cup in South Africa which opened the door for IPL in India. In between, the Indian Under-19 team won their second title and due to live telecast of the matches the players like Kohli and Jadeja became instant stars. And in the IPL auction also these players were picked up by various teams and Jadeja went to Rajasthan Royals. He performed admirably under the leadership of Shane Warne who called him a ‘Rockstar’. Royals surprised everyone to win the first-ever IPL trophy and Jadeja already started to show what he is capable off.
4. After a successful IPL season in 2008, he performed well in Ranji Trophy and made his limited over India debut in 2009. But he got involved in controversy just before the IPL 2010. He was apparently trying to get a better deal for him from other franchises and trying to move out of Rajasthan Royals in an unethical way. Once it was proved, Jadeja was suspended for a season and could not take part in the third edition of IPL.
5. Three Triple Hundreds – Jadeja currently holds the record for scoring the maximum number of First-Class triple hundreds. All these came in Ranji Trophy against Orissa, Gujarat, and Railways and with his third 300+ score, he shared the record with legends like Don Bradman, W G Grace and Brian Lara. At that time Jadeja was just 23 years old.
6. Jadeja has reached the top of the ICC bowlers ranking as well as all-rounders ranking at a different stage of his career. He became the number one Test bowler in 2013 and got the number one all-rounder tag in 2017. Currently, Jadeja is ranked 15th in the bowler tally and number two in the all-rounder table. He also sits in top 40 of the Test batting ranking presently.
7. Iconic Celebration – Ravindra Jadeja has created a unique style for himself and most iconic of his various expression is the sword celebration which he brings out every time once he reaches his fifty. Jadeja is fond of swords and horses and practices sword dancing at his youth. This is his way to celebrate his Rajpoot roots after achieving a milestone.
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