Jadeja thankful to Kohli for becoming No 1 all-rounder
MUMBAI: Ravindra Jadeja expressed his gratitude towards his former captain MS Dhoni and the incumbent Virat Kohli after the star Indian all-rounder was hailed as the world’s topranked bowler and all-rounder by the ICC in its latest Test rankings released recently.
Ravindra Jadeja, who played a match-winning role for India in the second Test against Sri Lanka that sealed the series in his team’s favour, will unfortunately miss the final contest of the series.
The 28-year-old Saurashtra cricketer has headed back home after being suspended from the Pallekele Test, and has been replaced by left-arm-spinner Axar Patel.
Meanwhile, Jadeja took Twitter to thank MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, as well as the Indian cricket board and his family.
“My humble journey 2 be #1 Test All Rounder & bowler was possible due 2 @msdhoni @imVkohli, my fans & family #bcci #icc #teamindia #rajputboy,” (sic) wrote Jadeja.
While Jadeja got his first opportunities to play Test cricket in the Dhoni era, it was under Kohli that he has flourished over the last two years.
Jadeja’s first strong impression on Test cricket was in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2012-13, a series in which he finished second behind Ravichandran Ashwin with 24 wickets in four Tests.
Jadeja made Michael Clarke his bunny, dismissing the Australian captain five times in the three Tests that he played in.
Against South Africa, Jadeja finished with 23 scalps in four Tests in the Freedom Series of 2015, which earmarked the beginning of his domination at home which also played a big role in India’s rise to the top spot in Test rankings.
Jadeja took 14 wickets in three Tests versus New Zealand, 26 wickets against England in five Tests, topping the charts with 25 wickets against Australia in four Tests and 6 wickets in the one-off Test against Bangladesh at Hyderabad.