Ravindra Jadeja - the unfussy man of all seasons

Ravi Rampaul felt that of the three Indian centurions - KL Rahul (100), Dhruv Jurel (125), and Ravindra Jadeja (104 not out) - Jadeja was the toughest to bowl to. "I think probably Jadeja was a little more attacking, especially against the spinners, trying to push them off line and over the top a bit more," the West Indies bowling coach said after Day 2. Jadeja was likely the most difficult bowler as well. His second innings figures of four for 54 demonstrate as much.

On a pitch that had eased considerably over the last three days and had become easier to bat on, the West Indies failed to read or handle him effectively. His accuracy, sharpness, discipline, and sting proved too much for the Roston Chase side. It was a travesty that he did not end up with a five-for. If only Shubman Gill had used him from the North End.

There were plenty of footmarks to exploit on that end, yet the India skipper chose to deploy him from the other. If the Test lasted as long as the middle session of the middle day, it might have been because Jadeja did not get the best of the pitch conditions. One cannot say with certainty, but the match could have ended earlier otherwise. That's a minor point though - another bowler might have asked the captain to change ends, something commentators repeatedly highlighted on air.

Jadeja struck early in his third over (10th of the innings), having John Campbell caught at forward short leg, and then forcing an edge from Brandon King, which Rahul snapped up in the slips. Shai Hope was his next victim, deceived by extra bounce and caught at backward point by Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The three wickets in quick succession left West Indies reeling at 66 for five at lunch, after India declared overnight at 448 for five. Gill delayed Jadeja's redeployment after lunch, but once he returned in the 42nd over, he had Johann Layne caught at mid-off. Before Jadeja could claim a five-for, Kuldeep wrapped up the West Indies innings three overs later.

But Jadeja, the silent operator, the quiet warrior of Indian cricket - never demanding, always accommodating - did not mind the miss. A team insider, who spent nearly a decade with the Indian side, says, "What he gives to the team is more than just himself. He values contribution over credit." He is so undemanding that, in 15 years of international cricket, he has never once made a fuss even over the lunch or dinner menu, let alone the bowling end or batting position. He has batted as low as No. 9 and as high as No. 4.

Jadeja is a delight for the captain, coach, and even the team management. He has also taken on a leadership role this series, having been appointed vice-captain. But true to his nature, he sees nothing extraordinary in the position - to him, it's just a title on paper. Vice-captain or not, he continues to contribute to the team through his insights and inputs.

"Having that tag of vice-captain, it's just something you see on paper. But as a senior player, I feel what matters is whether youngsters come and speak to me or if I go and tell them [about] what they are doing wrong, or about what their mindset is. They would feel a lot better if I go and tell them rather than they come and ask me and I wait for that to happen," says Jadeja, the player-of-match of the first Test..

"Everyone treats each other as equals in the dressing room, and there's a good environment where there is no senior and junior. I feel respect always comes from within, not from any outward show. The environment is very good, and all the youngsters are growing together, and it's a very good thing for Indian cricket. We will be a very strong team in the future, in three-four years, in all conditions, whether it is SENA conditions or the Asian conditions."

As a bowler, he has always been valuable - dangerous in home conditions and effective on overseas pitches. Recently, he has taken his batting to unprecedented levels. In the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England, he was the fourth-highest scorer of the series with 516 runs, including a century and five half-centuries. With the ball, he also chipped in with seven wickets on the flat English wickets.

One of his most memorable performances against England came at home in the fifth Test of the 2016 series, when he turned a near-draw into a remarkable victory with a seven-wicket haul. England were four wickets down at Tea on the fifth day, and Jadeja turned the match on its head with a series of decisive blows. He finished with seven for 48 in 25 overs as England crumbled to an embarrassingly shocking defeat. It was from that Test perhaps, he sealed his position as India's No 1 spinner.

Those were the days of Indian cricket under head coach Ravi Shastri, with Bharat Arun and R Sridhar as his deputies. It was during this period that he is believed to have learned the nuances of bowling - how to use angles and trajectory effectively. Whether over or around the wicket, he became known for creating sharp angles by bowling close to or away from the stumps, while consistently varying his pace.

As the saying goes, he would walk into the Indian team purely as either a batsman or a bowler. He embodies the quintessential all-rounder requirement - capable of scoring a century when required and claiming a five-for when needed. He is now just 10 runs and 16 wickets away from the rare milestone of 4,000 runs and 350 wickets, a feat few all-rounders achieve.

Kapil Dev's staggering double of 5000 (5,248) runs and (400) 434 wickets is within reach, but Jadeja prefers not to dwell on those numbers, so that there is no added pressure. "I'll have to start thinking about how to score 1000 more runs and take 60-70 more wickets. No, but at this stage I'm enjoying my cricket. I'm not thinking about other records or milestones. I'm just working on my fitness and enjoying my cricket. Whenever I'm at home I always work on my fitness so that I just continue doing what I've been doing for so many years, so that's about it," he shrugs it off.

Whether or not he reaches Kapil's milestone, Jadeja has been a special player for the Indian team since the 2008-09 domestic season, when he scored 739 runs at an average of 67 and took 42 wickets at 19.92. It is said that MS Dhoni played a key role in his selection into the national side following that season. He made his international debut in 2009 and his Test debut in 2012, both under Dhoni's captaincy, inevitably.

For nearly two years, he has been the No. 1 all-rounder in world cricket according to the ICC rankings. Since 2021, across 36 Tests, he has been the leading scorer (2,064 runs) and wicket-taker (118 wickets) among the top all-rounders, an elite list including R Ashwin and Ben Stokes. Filling his shoes would be a tough task if he were to step away. But, Jadeja (36) remains confident that someone will emerge, just as Washington Sundar replaced Ashwin.

"Ash has contributed so much to Indian cricket, had been a matchwinner for so many years. I was playing a [Test] match in India without Ash for the first time, so sometimes I did find myself thinking, yeah, Ash will come on and bowl, and then realising he isn't there. Kuldeep (Yadav) and Washy (Sundar) have already played so many matches, and we can't call them youngsters, but it was a different combination."

He then philosophised the situation. "In the future you will ask, Jaddu isn't here, and someone else will be there, and this is inevitable, and it will keep happening." Otherwise a simpleton, he did not say in as many words but meant as much - that the game moves on and life goes on.