AHMEDABAD: When India start their ODI campaign in Zimbabwe under Virat Kohli on July 24, another Saurashtra cricketer will look to enhance his reputation further.
Ravindra Jadeja’s story in life and cricket has been the ideal rags to riches story. Coming from a humble background when he used to struggle to get his complete cricket gear in place as his father worked as a guard in a factory and mother a nurse.
But the same guy today commands a price tag of US$2 million in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). And so in cricket too. The bits-and-pieces player for Saurashtra today has become one of the most sought after player in the limited overs version. He is everywhere. He is a livewire on the field, he is treacherously cunning in his bowling and his batting is a big surprise. He carries a unique quality of producing a gem when the world would have written him off. No doubt he is Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s ‘go-to-man’ these days.
Former India stumper and national selector Kiran More who saw him and Cheteshwar Pujara as youngsters had once said: “They both were very talented. I was sure that these two boys will definitely play for India some day. But it is not just playing, what is important to earn respect from your opponents and colleagues alike. And that is what both Jadeja and Pujara have been able to achieve. Form is temporary and they too might face some ups and downs in their career but they have the class to survive the tough test of international cricket.”
Jadeja avoids the media like a plague today. He doesn’t mix with too many people either but his sister Naina urges not to blame the cricketer.
“He was very fun loving and talkative and used to do all sorts of things youngsters do and talk too without thinking much. But today things are different. He is an international cricketer and whatever he does or says becomes news. He doesn’t mind that but sometime when things he has never uttered or discussed gets published he feels bad. That’s the reason why he decided to keep his mouth shut and let his game do all the talking for him,” Naina had said defending his brother’s love-hate relation with the press.
It is not that he doesn’t communicates or socializes but with close friends and family. Jadeja is actually a big hit among the younger brigade in the team. He is also an active member in Twitter and keeps expressing his thoughts through his Twitter handle. He even took active part in some discussions too.
To sum it up in short, the Saurashtra southpaw has come a long way from the dusty fields of Jamnagar to the international stage. He has also matured a lot as a human being and as a cricketer. And more importantly he is slowly starting to enjoy life. The twirl of his moustache is just getting wee bit stiffer with every passing day.
