By: Tarish Bhatt
It is never easy to turn a setback into a comeback, but allrounder Ravindra Jadeja decided to do the difficult, and made a stunning comeback into the Indian team.
Jadeja was out of the Indian team, and it is difficult to imagine the kind of setback it would have been for someone who was once the number one bowler in world cricket.
The Rajkot-born, however, didn’t let the disappointment get the better of him, and with a string of remarkable performances in the Ranji Trophy made a comeback into the Indian Test team.
With his match-winning performances for Saurashtra, with both bat and ball, Jadeja proved that he is still the best India have got right now, and others have a way to travel to beat him.
That was the time when India were experimenting with the allrounder’s slot. Axar Patel and Stuart Binny were all tried, but they failed to match the standards set by Jadeja.
After coming into the Indian team, Jadeja impressed right way and finished with 23 wickets at an economy rate of just 1.76, while averaging just 10.82, including two fifers in the series.
The Test series against South Africa, and then a great run with the bat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy earned Jadeja a spot in India’s ODI and T20 squads as well. Some comeback!
Jadeja, who now has left his last year’s disappointment behind, is eager to continue his impressive form against Australia in the limited-overs format as well.
The series against Australia is going to be very crucial for Jadeja, seeing it is a buildup tournament to the World T20, and the 27-year-old is all set to give his best.
“I have had a great run recently, took wickets, scored runs,” Jadeja recalled. “So, the confidence is there, and I can assure you, I would be giving my team nothing but the best effort.”
Australia are not an easy opponent to face, especially at home, and India’s recent record against them is also not good, as they were hammered last time around.
Jadeja acknowledged that it is not going to be a walk in the park for India, but insisted that the team is ready to take on the world champions in their own den.
“Australia is one of the toughest opponents I have ever played against,” Jadeja insisted. “They are mentally and physically very tough but we will be ready to compete with them on all aspects.”
