Jokes apart, has Jadeja finally matured?

At the start of a new year, we resolve to change our ways, forget old habits, harness the better ones, and reach out for far greater things. It is safe to presume that Ravindra Jadeja did the same. But unlike us, who fall astray within the first few hours of the self-proclaimed year of revolutionary change, Jadeja has persisted and so far, impressed.

It’s become very easy to mock Jadeja, as the recent upsurge of ‘Jadeja Trolled’ posts has indicated. However, while nobody ‘deserves’ this kind of treatment on a wholly moralistic level, Jadeja’s performances have indeed been like countless invitations to caricature his dismal luck on the cricket field, and people have lapped it up, splashing various Jadeja-related jokes all over the internet. It has been a very entertaining and humorous ride, but is it time to stop?

India’s pursuit for the perfect all-rounder since the retirement of Kapil Dev, has led to deep excavations where we’ve unearthed and been witness to the rise of the likes of Ravi Shastri, Ajit Agarkar and Irfan Pathan. Unfortunately, each failed to capitalise on the bundle of talent they possessed, which led to Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin enhancing their batting abilities and Yuvraj Singh being seen with the ball more often in recent times. The irony of the situation read that the spinners began batting far better than bowling, and the latter turned into a wicket-taking option rather than a match-winning stroke player.

Jadeja’s arrival on the world stage wasn’t as celebratory as Irfan Pathan’s, but there was potential under that firm gaze of his, and it was all India’s to exploit. So why are we so adamant on making him the butt of every single one of our jokes?

At the risk of sounding like a jammed radio set, Jadeja’s failures can all be attributed to the Indian Premier League. The ‘get rich quick’ mindset of the event easily overpowered his naive temperament, and we soon saw rainbows sprouting from his hair and sixes varnishing his figures.

But 2013 has so far been a splendid year for Jadeja. Just when the jokes seem to reach the zenith, Jadeja ignored his critics and seems to have come into his own, picking wickets, drying up runs, and contributing with the bat.

In the six ODIs India have played this year, Jadeja has picked 12 wickets at an average of 14.66 and an economy rate of less than four. Even with the bat, he averages 43. It’s only been six games, but the change has been drastic and Jadeja seems determined to rid himself of the constant lampooning he is subjected to everyday.

It’s too early to say if he is India’s answer to the ever-out-of-reach all-rounder we’ve been searching for, and it’s far too short a time-span to judge Jadeja’s credentials and assess what lies for the future. But he is finally showing the talent he is capable of and that in itself is a commendable achievement. Of course, the baffling team selection methods and the unknown criteria behind them is the main reason he has been given more opportunities than he should be, and he needs to understand that if anyone else was captain, he may have been preparing for the Ranji Trophy final right now rather than the Australian series.

The IPL is upon us in a couple of months time. Dhoni should try and squeeze how much ever he can out of Jadeja before he’s enamoured by the glitz and glamour once again. Alternatively, the smart thing to do would be to sit him down, look him in the eye, and explain to him where his priorities lie. That should not only give Indian cricket a huge boost, but we could see a real talent for the world to laud in a few years’ time.