Stats: Ravindra Jadeja becomes Indian bowler with best Test average
Ravindra Jadeja became bowler with best average among all Indian bowlers who have taken minimum 50 wickets in Tests. Ravindra Jadeja has taken 68 wickets in 16 Tests at an average of 23.76, thereby overtaking his team-mate Ravinchandran Ashwin who has taken 176 wickets at an average of 25.39 in 32 Tests.
Jadeja, returned to the Indian Test team for the South Africa series, after almost 18 months, on the back of scintillating performances in the Ranji Trophy. By picking up 23 wickets in 4 matches at an average of 10.82, he continued his Ranji form in the series against the Proteas.
He has also achieved an another feat in the 4th Test between India and South Africa by bowling 33 maidens, which is highest number of maiden overs bowled by any bowler in Tests (maximum 50 overs).
Thanks to this consistent performance in all four Tests, he achieved his career-high Test ranking of no.7 in the latest ICC Test Bowler’s Rankings, which was released after the conclusion of the Delhi Test. Before the start of the series, Jadeja was ranked 30th and his current position is a phenomenal achievement for someone who was written off, after his poor showing in previous series.
Among the list of Indian bowlers with best average in Tests, there are many legends like Kapil Dev and Anil Kumble, who all average above the left-arm spinner. Here is a table which shows India’s top 10 bowlers (min 50 wickets) with best average in Tests.
| Player Name | Matches | Wickets | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravindra Jadeja | 16 | 68 | 23.76 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 32 | 176 | 25.39 |
| Bishen Bedi | 67 | 266 | 28.71 |
| Raghunath Nadkarni | 41 | 88 | 29.08 |
| Subhash Gupte | 36 | 149 | 29.55 |
| Kapil Dev | 131 | 434 | 29.65 |
| Anil Kumble | 132 | 619 | 29.65 |
| B S Chandrashekhar | 58 | 242 | 29.75 |
| Narendra Hirwani | 17 | 66 | 30.11 |
| Ghulam Ahmed | 22 | 68 | 30.18 |
Here is an another table which shows the bowlers with the best average (min 20 wickets) in 2015.
| Player Name | Country | Matches | Wickets | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravindra Jadeja | India | 4 | 23 | 10.82 |
| Amit Mishra | India | 5 | 22 | 15.72 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 9 | 62 | 17.20 |
| James Anderson | England | 11 | 46 | 22.65 |
| Yasir Shah | Pakistan | 7 | 49 | 23.00 |
| Josh Hazlewood | Australia | 10 | 44 | 23.27 |
| Jerome Taylor | West Indies | 7 | 26 | 23.34 |
| Dhammika Prasad | Sri Lanka | 9 | 41 | 24.95 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 11 | 46 | 25.06 |
| Stuart Broad | England | 13 | 51 | 25.09 |