'He is one of the most complete cricketers you will ever see.'
Ravindra Jadeja showed great defiance with the bat as he, along with young Washington Sundar, played out more than two sessions on the final day to help India pull off a sensational draw in the fourth Test against England in Manchester.
Jadeja's bowling came under scrutiny after he just managed just one wicket in the series opener at Headingley. But he has made up for the lack of wickets with some gutsy performances with the bat.
Such has been his consistency with the bat that Jadeja has matched the great Garfield Sobers by registering his fifth 50-plus score of the Anderson-Tendukar series.
Even in the defeat in the third Test at Lord's when India failed to chase down 193 on the final day, Jadeja held his head high with 61 not out.
Batting mainly at No. 6 or No. 7 in the series, Jadeja is the fourth-highest run-getter in the series with 454 runs in eight innings at an average of 113.50, including four fifties and a century.
Jaydev Shah, Jadeja's first captain in domestic cricket, believes the senior all-rounder's preparations ahead of departing for England played a crucial role in his success with the bat.
"Jadeja knows how to adjust his batting to the circumstances or the match situation," Jaydev Shah tells Rediff's Harish Kotian.
Having seen Jadeja since the start of his career, what is your reaction to his match-saving century at Manchester?
He played such a mature knock in Manchester. I would say he has become the pillar of the team. Everyone has understood his value now.
Previously, his performances were going under the radar, but in England we have seen that he is world class in all aspects, whether it is fielding, bowling or batting.
He is one of the most complete cricketers you will ever see. He has such an amazing temperament.
One thing about Jadeja is that he always focusses on cricket. Whatever he does cricket always comes first for him. He always prepares well for every series and that is the secret of his good showing.
Jadeja is not someone who will perform in one series and then sit back. He has performed or play an important part in every series that he has played and this is across all formats.
Tell us about his preparations for the England Test series. He had intense practice sessions in Rajkot before leaving for England despite coming off a hectic schedule in the IPL.
He approached the Saurashtra Cricket Association and told us that he wanted to practice at the stadium before leaving for England. We have always come forward to help cricketers and we did whatever was asked of us.
I would say the preparations before leaving for England has helped him in this series. He was determined before leaving for England that he wanted to play a major role for the Indian team in the Test series.
He has always been preparing before every series. But this time he had come soon after the IPL so he wanted some red ball practice before leaving for England. The Indian team had scheduled few days of practice before the Test series but Jadeja was very keen to get some red ball practice in Saurashtra also, because he wanted to arrive in England ready and prepared for the Test series.
This gave him the edge in England and I think a lot of young cricketers can learn from him on how to prepare for an overseas tour.
You were his first captain when he made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2006-2007.
He was very gutsy from the start. Then we boosted his confidence by getting him to bat higher up in the order for Saurashtra.
He has hit triple centuries in the Ranji Trophy so he must definitely has a lot of batting ability. Scoring a triple century is not easy, you don't see it often in a Ranji Trophy season; he has done it thrice.
His place in the team was questioned after picking up just one wicket in the first Test but he has since bounced back with four fifties in a row along with one century.
How important a player is he for India now in Tests?
In his initial years, he was viewed as a T20 player after his exploits in the IPL, but at the same time he had a superb record for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy both with bat and ball.
He has always been a complete player. In T20 cricket, you only see how far a batter can hit, how many big sixes he can hit.
Jadeja's batting has gone up several notches, he knows how to adjust his batting to the circumstances or the match situation.
If the situation demands that he should stay at the wicket, he will show patience and wear out the bowlers, if he has to score quick runs he is capable of that also.
He is a player who knows how to perform at crucial junctures and win matches for his team.
Playing Ranji Trophy for the first few years in his career really helped him. He has evolved beautifully since he came into the Test team.
He has never stopped learning. You will never see Jadeja satisfied with his performance, he wants to improve in every match and that is evident by the way he prepares for every game.
He was dropped from the Indian team in the initial years but he managed to fight his way back. He has had to prove himself again and again but he has managed to succeed every time.
That is why I say that he is one the most complete all-rounders in the game today. He contributes as a fielder, as a batter and as a bowler too, so he plays his part in every aspect.
He is one of the best all-rounders in world cricket today.
Having seen his amazing run with the bat in England, do you believe he should bat higher, in the top 5 of the Test team?
I think he is capable of batting anywhere in the Test team. He reads the game well and adjusts his batting to the situation accordingly.
Jadeja has such a calming presence in the field. You rarely see him getting angry. Even on Day 5 of the Manchester Test, when Ben Stokes was arguing with him, Jadeja was seen smiling while talking to him. Does he never get angry?
I think he only gets angry when someone misfields off his bowling or a catch is dropped off his bowling. He is always relaxed.
He is such a hard working cricketer. When he plays cricket, you will see he is fully focussed, but off the field he is so relaxed.
He looks incredibly fit now. There was a time when he battled a few injuries a couple of years back but now he looks in the best of shape.
In such a long career despite playing all three formats, he has managed to stay fit which is a big achievement in itself.
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