Ravindra Jadeja opens up on inner turmoil as team’s confidence wavers

The 37-year-old Ravindra Jadeja has always been one of the key members of the national side since his debut in 2009. Even before that, during his early days in Rajkot, the cricketer was known to be a good batter, a very dangerous bowler, and a terrific fielder. Jadeja made his India debut in the ODI format in 2009 and had to wait three more years before getting his Test cap.

The veteran, in a recent chat with former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar on Sony Sports Network on the sidelines of the IND vs SL Test, said that he had faced self-doubt over his batting abilities when he began his career. “If you look at my domestic cricket career, wherever I have played, the average is over 60. Somewhere I had the belief about my abilities with the bat. But when you come into the Indian team, one doesn’t get their preferred batting number.”

Before his Test debut, the all-rounder had scored three triple tons, a feat which no other Indian batter has managed to achieve. He first scored 314 off 375 versus Orissa in 2011. The next season, Jadeja scored two triple-tons, 303 not out versus Gujarat and 331 against Railways. These numbers, as well as his bowling skills, saw the player get a chance in the Nagpur Test in 2012 against England with MS Dhoni as his captain.

The veteran star also went on to add that on occasions he was slotted to bat lower down the order, which affected his confidence. “Sometimes there is a thought that you need to score more runs, and then in the same dressing room, the pacer is selecting the new ball and your thought process changes that bowling is set to commence. Such things disturbed my confidence, and I questioned myself what’s happening. The team doesn’t even have confidence in me. Now my role is what the team wants: if the ball is turning, I am the lead-spinner, and if we are playing in places like England or Australia, the focus is more on my batting.”

Ahead of the Sri Lanka Test series, the veteran had played 89 Tests, scoring 4095 runs at an average of 38, with six tons and 28 fifties. He has also picked up 348 wickets and needs two more wickets to reach the 350-mark. The former CSK star will also become the fourth player after Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, and Daniel Vettori to score 4000 Test runs and take 350 Test wickets.

Ravindra Jadeja’s numbers