World No. 1 Test all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is set to play a crucial role for India in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, beginning on Thursday, September 19, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. As a key player in India’s lineup, the 35-year-old Jadeja is expected to make the playing XI despite the recent rise of fellow spinner Axar Patel.
Jadeja, who has taken 294 wickets in 72 Tests since his debut in December 2012, needs just six more wickets to join an elite club of Indian bowlers with 300 or more Test dismissals. If he achieves this milestone, he will become the seventh Indian bowler to reach 300 wickets, following in the footsteps of legends like Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ishant Sharma.
Reaching 300 wickets will also elevate Ravindra Jadeja to an exclusive list of Indian cricketers who have achieved the remarkable double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets in Test cricket. Only Kapil Dev and Ravichandran Ashwin have accomplished this feat. Jadeja currently has 3036 runs from 105 innings across 72 Tests, making him only the third Indian all-rounder to potentially complete this rare double.
Kapil Dev, one of India’s greatest all-rounders, retired with 434 wickets and 5248 runs in 131 Test matches, while Ashwin has amassed 516 wickets and 3309 runs in 100 Tests. Jadeja, with his all-round abilities, is on the brink of joining these legends in the annals of Indian cricket.
Jadeja missed India’s last Test series against Bangladesh in December 2022, but his return to the squad for this series puts him in a prime position to make history. With the first Test being played on his home ground in Chennai, all eyes will be on Jadeja to see if he can achieve this career-defining milestone.
All the best team India!
