Ravindra Jadeja is one of the finest cricketers of India.
Born on December 6, 1988, in Gujarat, he is an International Indian cricketer who is a middle-order batter and a spin bowler. He represents Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Childhood and early struggles
As we know, no person can become successful without facing struggles. Born to Anirudh Singh (father) and Lata (mother), Ravindra Jadeja comes from a middle-class family. His father worked as a security guard in a private security agency in Ahemdabad, and his mother was a nurse.
Many cricket fans were aware that Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja had a difficult childhood. It was unlikely that Anirudh Singh Jadeja, father of two girls and a boy, who sometimes worked as a fixed-income security guard, would have allowed his son to play the game of cricket. His father wanted him to be an army officer, but Jadeja had a great interest in cricket.
School cricket gave Jadeja recognition. As we know, every person needs guidance and support to enhance their skills and knowledge. So for that, Mahendra Singh Chauhan, a policeman and a cricketer by profession changed Jadeja’s life with his strict discipline. Jadeja was selected for the Under-14 and Under-17 national teams after brilliant performances for his club.
The trauma of his mother’s death in 2005 almost made him quit cricket at the age of 17.
Cricket and Sir Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja made his debut for India in under-19 cricket in 2005 at the age of 16. He was an integral part of the Indian team that was runners-up at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2006 in Sri Lanka. After an impressive performance at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006, Jadeja was named vice-captain of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2008, in which he played a crucial role in India’s victory at Malaysia.
Jadeja made his first-class debut for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy in 2006-07 and played for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy. He impressed the national selectors with astonishing performances in the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy games and was selected for the ODI series in Sri Lanka. In 2012, he became the first Indian player and eighth in history to get three first-class triple centuries in his career.
Jadeja made his IPL debut for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League’s inaugural season in 2008. After a good stint with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL under Shane Warne, who nicknamed him Rockstar, an impressive all-around display in the 2008-09 season prompted the selectors to give him an ODI debut against Sri Lanka.
But a disastrous 2009 T20 World Cup made Ravindra Jadeja, nicknamed Sir, a laughing stock. He has been the target of sarcasm and jokes on Indian cricket fans’ portals. Fans criticised him for using the term ‘sir’ after his awful performance against Australia in the tournament.
After his poor performance in the 2015 ODI series in Bangladesh, he was dropped from the Indian team. Jadeja returned strongly in the next Ranji season (2015–16), and was rewarded with selection for the Indian test side facing South Africa at home. There is no clear explanation as to why Jadeja is the only one to be classified as below average from that era, when, a large number of players also had sub-standard performances even though they are established names in Indian cricket.
India star Ravindra Jadeja suffered a blow to his head and had a concussion against Australia when a bouncer by Mitchell Starc hit him, in 2020. However, in fine form, Jadeja remained unbeaten on 44 from 23 balls, helping the Indian cricket team reach 161-7 and win the T20 match.
But his comeback has been strong and he has been on top of his game, playing a crucial role in many matches. He has been a part of the Chennai Super Kings since 2012.
