Ravindra Jadeja might have underwhelmed with the ball in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, but one cannot deny his impact with the bat. The left-handed batter registered 516 runs in the five-match series, including five half-centuries and one ton. Jadeja was exceptional with the bat, especially in the second innings. His unbeaten knock in the second innings of the Manchester Test was the main reason behind India drawing the game against all odds.
Former Australia pacer Brett Lee reckons Ravindra Jadeja is the best all-rounder in the game currently and no one even comes close. However, Lee had a special advice in store for the all-rounder, saying he needs to watch out when doing his sword celebration while batting.
Lee reckons Jadeja is extremely fit as a cricketer. However, he can injure his rotator cuff while doing the sword celebration. It must be mentioned that the 36-year-old wields his bat like a sword upon bringing up his half-century or ton.
Lee advised Jadeja to watch out and not celebrate too hard. Otherwise, there is a concern about him potentially injuring himself and missing a few games for India.
“The thing with Jadeja, the only way I see him getting injured is doing a rotator cuff with his, the way he does a sword celebration. So, I love it. Look after your body. Don’t celebrate too hard,” Lee said on his YouTube channel.
“He’s punched out 85 Test matches for his country already, and I believe he will go past that magical 100 barrier. I mean, anyone who’s played 100 Tests for their country is a GOAT in my opinion. They are an absolute superstar. Longevity, being at the top of their game for so long. So I reckon, you know, another sort of 15 Tests, it’s about 2 years, I think he’ll go past the 100 mark,” he added.
Ravindra Jadeja bailed India and Shubman Gill time and time again with the bat in the five-match series against England, which ended at a scoreline of 2-2. The left-hander got ever so close in the third Test at Lord’s to help India register a memorable win against all odds.
However, Mohammed Siraj’s wicket off the bowling of Shaoib Bashir dampened all plans, and Jadeja remained unbeaten in the end as England registered a 22-run win.
“He has everything that a cricketer needs, and I think he actually ticks every single box. He does the basics right. He’s got a simple technique, no fuss. He runs and bowls accurately. He bowls the correct line length when needed. Gets through his overs quickly. We’ve spoken about how good he is in the field. Arguably the best in the world. 36 years of age, but the fittest,” said Lee.
“He’s the fittest in the team. He covers a lot of ground. He prides himself on being the fittest, and to me, that is probably the reason why he never shies away from those big moments. He likes to be in the game. He’s an entertainer. And he’s probably one of the factory cricketers that if you put everything into a mix, throw it into a bucket, mix all up, pick out your best cricketer, Jadeja will get the top of the list,” he added.
Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is after India’s World Cup last year. However, he continues to remain a force in Tests and ODIs.
