Top 5 Ravindra Jadeja knocks in international cricket
Ravindra Jadeja is one versatile cricketer, who draws your attention when he plays. He plays aggressively and is the only Indian player to score three first-class triple centuries in his career. He averages more than 44 in first-class cricket and about 31 in List ‘A’.
Hence, his batting is very underrated. The fact that he bats at No. 8 or 9 in the current team doesn’t justify the talent he possesses with the bat. And he has played some fabulous knocks in his career. On his 29th birthday, let’s look at some of Jadeja’s best knocks in international cricket.
#5 78 vs England, Kennington Oval – 2011 (3rd ODI)
After losing out on a World Cup berth, Ravindra Jadeja was back in the ODI squad which toured England in 2011. After a 4-0 drubbing in Tests and a narrow loss in the second ODI (after the first one was washed out), India were searching for their first win on the tour.
Put into bat by England, India were off to a disastrous start as they slipped to 57/5 in the 19th over. Jadeja (playing his first game of the series) joined skipper MS Dhoni in the middle. The main goal after a horrific start was to bat as many overs as possible and not get bowled out quickly.
Jadeja along with Dhoni (69) batted superbly to help India not only bat out 50 overs but also post a competitive score of 234. Jadeja played 89 deliveries and scored a wonderful 78. He first resurrected the innings before launching an attack at the death.
He backed this batting performance with a disciplined bowling performance, picking up 2/42. Unfortunately, India lost via Duckworth-Lewis as rain interrupted the game frequently. However, Jadeja won the Man of the Match award for his all-round show.