Ravindra Jadeja

Did You Know?

• Jadeja's father Anirudh was a watchman for a private security agency and wanted him to become an Army officer.
• His mother Lata died in an accident in 2005, and the trauma almost made him quit cricket.
• He married Rivaba Solanki on 17 April 2016; she is an MLA from Gujarat representing the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Domestic career

Jadeja made his first Under-19 appearance for India in 2005 at age 16. He was selected for the 2006 U/19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka, where India finished runners-up and he took three wickets in the final against Pakistan. He was vice-captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup, taking 10 wickets in six games at an average of 13.60. His first-class debut came in the 2006–07 Duleep Trophy, playing for West Zone and for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy. In 2012, he became the eighth player in history and the first Indian to score three first-class triple centuries, joining Don Bradman, Brian Lara, Bill Ponsford, Wally Hammond, WG Grace, Graeme Hick and Mike Hussey. His first triple century was 314 off 375 balls against Orissa in November 2011, followed by 303 not out against Gujarat in November 2012, and 331 against Railways in December 2012.

International career

Jadeja's strong all-round showing in the 2008–09 Ranji Trophy—42 wickets and 739 runs—led to his selection for the ODI series in Sri Lanka. He made his international debut on 8 February 2009, scoring 60 not out, though India lost. In the 2009 World Twenty20, he was criticised for slow scoring in a loss to England. On 21 December 2009, he earned man of the match for 4–32 against Sri Lanka.

He returned to the ODI side in the third ODI against England at The Oval, scoring 78 and adding 112 with MS Dhoni, then taking 2–42, but England won. In the fourth ODI at Lord's, he gave away four overthrows but took a catch on the boundary off the last ball. In February 2012, he had figures of 1/16 in three overs and two run outs in a T20I against Australia, earning man of the match. After scoring two 300-plus scores in four Ranji Trophy matches in 2012–13, he was called up for the fourth Test against England at Nagpur, where he bowled 70 overs and took 3/117.

In the second ODI against England at Kochi, he hit 61 off 37 balls and took 2/12 in seven overs, earning man of the match as India levelled the series.

Indian Premier League

Jadeja was selected by Rajasthan Royals for the inaugural IPL in 2008 and played a role in their victory over Chennai Super Kings in the final. He scored 135 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 131.06, with a best of 36 not out. In 2009, he scored 295 runs at a strike rate of 110.90 and conceded fewer than 6.5 runs per over. He missed the 2010 IPL due to a ban from contractual irregularities.

In 2011, he was bought by Kochi Tuskers Kerala for $950,000; after the franchise was terminated, he was bought by Chennai Super Kings for $2 million in the 2012 auction, the most expensive player that year. He won man of the match in his second match against Deccan Chargers for 48 runs and 5/16. In 2014, he was named in the ESPNcricinfo CLT20 XI. During IPL 2015, he took 4/11 against Rajasthan Royals.

In the 2021 IPL, he hit 62 not out, including a joint-highest 37 runs in the last over, and took 3/13. He was appointed CSK captain for 2022 but stepped down mid-season, handing over to Dhoni, and was later ruled out with a rib injury. In the 2023 IPL final, he hit a six and a four off the final two balls to win the title. Ahead of the 2026 season, he rejoined Rajasthan Royals via a trade deal.

Media image

His dominance of Michael Clarke was noted, and he was named Player of the Week by Cricket World after the fourth Test. Since the 2009 World Twenty20, he has been a target of sarcasm and jokes on cricket portals and by fans, with the nickname 'Sir Ravindra Jadeja' going viral online. After being bowled for 16 in the Chennai Test against Australia in February 2013, a portal described his dismissal as falling 284 runs short of a fourth first-class triple-century.

Following his good performance in that series, Jadeja jokes comparing him to Rajinikanth appeared on Twitter, and his Wikipedia article was temporarily vandalized. In April 2013, teammates MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin tweeted Jadeja jokes, with Dhoni calling him 'Sri Sri Pandit Sir Lord Ravindra Jadeja'. Jadeja said he had no problem with the prefix 'Sir'. He is often nicknamed 'Rockstar', and his IPL jersey bears 'Jaddu'.

His sword celebration after scoring a fifty or hundred has been popular but also criticised for caste reference. During the 2019 World Cup, commentator Sanjay Manjrekar called him a 'bits and pieces player' and later apologised after Jadeja's performance.