India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja
Prolific India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is set to return to the Test fold with the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand. With his wide-ranging abilities, the Saurashtra cricketer adds flexibility to the Indian set-up.
The 32-year-old, who has so far played 51 Tests, 168 ODIs, and 50 T20Is, will be teaming up with R Ashwin to conduct India's spin bowling force in the marquee clash against the Kiwis. The left-hander also had a splendid outing the previous time when India and New Zealand squared up in an ICC event.
In the 2019 World Cup semi-final, Jadeja notched up a valiant half-century albeit in a losing cause. Almost two years later, all eyes will be on him to deliver a similar kind of performance against the same opposition.
Meanwhile, Jadeja is just 46 runs away from entering an elusive list comprising the likes of Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh, and R Ashwin.
Jadeja has a chance to become the fifth Indian player to score 2000 runs and pluck more than 200 wickets with the red ball. He's currently got 1954 runs and 220 wickets in the traditional format of the game.
Jadeja had recently recalled the setback of his cricketing career where he was sidelined from the national set-up. Following an impressive turnaround, he's currently an automatic choice in the Indian XI regardless of the format.
"Honestly, those one-and-a-half years were filled with sleepless nights. Through that phase, I remember I would be up till 4-5 am. I would be thinking about what to do, how am I going to bounce back? I couldn't sleep. I would be lying down but jaaga hi rehta tha (would remain awake)," he told Indian Express in an interview.
"I was in the Test squad but not playing as we played a lot overseas. I wasn't playing ODIs. I wasn't playing domestic too as I would be travelling with the Indian team though not playing. I wasn't getting any opportunity to prove myself. I would keep thinking about how I am going to come back."
