"They say things without knowing the hard work I have done to reach this stage" - Ravindra Jadeja on trolls
Ravindra Jadeja has been somewhat of a late bloomer in Indian cricket, despite being around the international scene since 2009.
The all-rounder faced a lot of heat from fans because of his inconsistency during the initial stages of his career. However, he has become one of the best all-rounders in the cricketing world thanks to his exploits over the last half a decade or so.
While fans troll cricketers sometimes out of frustration and expectations of seeing their star players do well, Jadeja recently opened up on how it affects the players. He claimed that those who trolled him knew nothing about how hard he had worked to get to the position he is in now.
Speaking to The Indian Express, here's what Ravindra Jadeja had to say about the trolling culture:
“On days when I haven’t done well, they start trolling, calling me names. They say things without knowing the kind of hard work I have done to reach this stage. Small, small things … There are so many struggles and sacrifices that I don’t even remember now.”
Ravindra Jadeja always believed that he would improve with time
For the past five years, Ravindra Jadeja has been one of the most consistent all-rounders across formats. He felt that although he was trolled by fans, he always knew deep down that he would get better and better as a player.
Jadeja has continued to put in the hard yards and has become one of the best all-rounders India have ever produced, especially in Test cricket. On this, he stated:
“Generally people keep judging you all the time, they say that’s all he will do, he will not improve, he has limitations. They don’t understand a simple principle that with time, one improves. From start to finish, one can’t be the same.”
The all-rounder added:
“I was worst when I started. So I was just saying that I will improve and once I do, your opinion about me will change. That’s when you will say ‘This is the all-rounder, India wanted.’”
Ravindra Jadeja will want to carry on the good work of the first Test into the second game against Australia in Delhi. He notably picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the Nagpur Test, while also scoring a brilliant half-century to help India secure an innings victory.