For nearly seven years since his Test debut in December 2012, Ravindra Jadeja primarily batted at No. 8, occasionally dropping down one place or going up one number. He was viewed as a left-arm spinner who could give the ball a thwack lower down the order, which reflected in his stats –average 32.50 in 43 Tests, strike-rate of 62.87, one hundred and 11 fifties.
These aren’t bad batting numbers for an attacking bowler in Asia used in a holding, defensive role outside the subcontinent. But Jadeja was always a far better batter than those numbers. It’s just that he didn’t quite believe so, especially when it came to Test cricket.
Since October 2019, however, Jadeja has been a reasonably permanent member in the top six. So much has his batting come on that India have been emboldened to use him at No. 5, from where he made 112 against England in Rajkot in February with India in a hole at 33 for three. In his 35 Tests from October 2019, Jadeja averages 38.93. The responsibility of batting in the top half has seen a dip of more than ten runs in his strike rate (51.31) but his efficacy has improved hugely – three of his four hundreds have come in the last five years, he has set stall as a reliable batting option rather than a hit-and-miss candidate.
Jadeja has displayed his batting prowess when the chips are down, when the team has its backs to the wall. Whether at home, where he is a handful on anything but the most raging turners, or away in the SENA countries with the ball bouncing and seaming and swinging, where he trusts his defence, he waits for his moments. His presence sparks confidence in his partners, be it a seasoned campaigner like KL Rahul or a young tyro looking to make a name for himself, such as Nitish Kumar Reddy.
The best of Jadeja’s batting smarts was on display at the Gabba on Tuesday. Batting at No. 7 on his return to Test cricket after warming the bench for the last two Tests, Jadeja walked into a crisis with India teetering at 74 for five. Rahul was batting like a dream, again, but he was running out of partners, if not patience. Australia’s 445 was a million miles away, the 172 more runs required to make the hosts bat again a distant dream.
How Ravindra Jadeja went about his innings on Day 4 of Gabba Test
None of that fazed Jadeja. Early on, he focussed on occupying the crease. Jadeja is intelligent enough to realise the easing up of the challenge against an ageing Kookaburra. The ball was 23.3 overs old when he made his entry. If he could see off an hour or so, batting would become fun.
That’s exactly the tack the 36-year-old adopted. Early doors, he kept leaving and leaving with the assurance of his partner at the other end who batted on a different plane from his floundering colleagues. Rahul and Jadeja enjoy each other’s company, are good at dropping the ball into narrow gaps and scampering singles so that the score board moves along, gently but surely. Once he spent about 45 minutes or so, Jadeja was a lot more relaxed, getting his first boundary with a swept four off Nathan Lyon, the crack off-spinner whose only ally at the Gabba was bounce.
Jadeja’s batting is about minimalism. There are no grand movements at the crease, no great flourish. He is the epitome of no-fuss, of getting the job done, of embracing the unglamorous because it works. His only concession is the elaborate left-handed bat-twirl celebration on reaching a milestone – ‘I am a Rajput but I can’t bring a sword to the ground, so I use my bat as a sword,’ he explained a while back – and it’s a concession that sits well with the fans, because more than 6,000 at the Gabba roared their appreciation when he got to his fifty.
Jadeja helped Rahul add 67, then took Nitish along in his wake, the young lad revealing his cricketing intelligence by putting his head down and grinding it out unlike in the first two Tests when he batted aggressively. Their alliance was worth 53, and it wasn’t until No. 10 Jasprit Bumrah came out that Jadeja looked to take on the bowling. It came off only for a while before he fell to a catch in the deep. His 77 didn’t exactly ease India past the follow-on figure but it was a vital component in accomplishing that mission. India must think twice, and then some more, if they even entertain thoughts of leaving this warrior on the bench. And then jettison those thoughts.
