Ravindra Jadeja's 3 most memorable dismissals of Steve Smith
Ravindra Jadeja got Steve Smith out for the eighth time on Friday, becoming the joint-second-highest wicket-taker against the Australia batting maestro.
It happened in the 30th over of Australia's second innings of the World Test Championship Final at the Oval. Jadeja hurled it short and wide after seeing Smith advancing down the track. The former Australia captain slogged it wildly over mid-on without getting close to the ball. He only got a top-edge and the ball went high up in the air, coming down into the hands of Shardul Thakur just behind point.
Smith now only averages 33.75 against the left-arm spinner, which is among the lowest for him against all bowlers. However, this was nowhere near close to the eye-pleasing dismissals that Jadeja has earned of the Australian batting ace in the past. Among those eight, three clearly stand out because of the quality and the occasion involved.
Below, we'll look at just that in chronological order.
Delhi Test 2013 - Ravindra Jadeja's first dismissal of Steve Smith
India won the first three matches of Australia's four-Test series in 2013 quite easily, but the visitors looked determined to put up a fight in the last match in Delhi.
Skipper MS Dhoni handed Jadeja, playing only his second international Test series, the new ball after a short spell from his seamers. The spinner sent back both the openers - David Warner and (curiously) Glenn Maxwell - along with Ed Cowan quickly.
Ravichandran Ashwin got the fourth wicket of Shane Watson and Matthew Wade and Smith joined hands together. The two Aussies had a heated argument with Virat Kohli during a break but Smith started to look slightly comfortable soon.
That's when Jadeja came in again. After spinning a few away from the right-hander, he pushed one straight. Smith couldn't read it and shouldered his arms, only to see it crash on the stumps. Dhoni's celebrations behind the wicket said it all and Jadeja had opened his wickets account against a future Test superstar.
The 34-year-old earned the Player of the Match award for that performance as well. You can watch the wicket here.
Bengaluru Test 2017
Another home series, but this was a much more desperate situation for India. Australia delivered a major shock in the first Test at Pune by winning by 333 runs, aided by a third-innings 109 (202) by Smith, which is still one of the best knocks by an overseas batter on a spin minefield in India.
He was the most important wicket in the first Aussie innings of the second Test in Bengaluru. The right-hander started where he left the previous game - defending everything with precision to reach 8 (52). He was irritating the hosts with his antics and his famous 'battle of the most unique expression' with Ishant Sharma as well.
However, Jadeja once again got him with a straight ball. This time, it was full and on the leg stump. Smith got a leading edge trying to play for the turn which ballooned over the empty short-leg area for wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha to scamper, dive, and grab an excellent catch.
He collected five more wickets in that innings and another in the second essay as India won the match by 75 runs and eventually clinched the series 2-1.
You can watch the wicket here.
Nagpur Test 2023
Jadeja cleans up Steve Smith - What a cricketer.
https://t.co/fqfJpYIMGC
Another arm ball, another clean bowled! The last wicket on our list is also the most beautiful. This was India's first match of the 2023 Border Gavaskar Trophy and Jadeja was coming off almost a six-month-long injury setback, with slight doubts over his future with the national team.
India wanted to avoid a repeat of 2017. Australia's dependence on Smith and Marnus Labuschagne was palpable after both openers went back for one run each and the duo built a 82-run partnership on Day 1. In the fourth over after Lunch, Jadeja got rid of Labuschagne and Mat Renshaw on back-to-back deliveries.
Smith remained off the strike for his next two overs. When the duo finally came across after 26 balls, the spinner got three of four balls to turn away from Smith before hurling in a quick one that went past his bat to disturb the stumps.
He was awarded the Player of the Match award for collecting seven wickets in the match, including a first-innings fifer and also scoring a 70 (185) as India won by an innings and 132 runs.