Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin are gone from the Indian Test setup. And among that list of veterans only Ravindra Jadeja remains. And with the India vs England Test series coming up, his services are needed, perhaps much more than they ever were, to a side that is visibly going through a transition.
In 80 Tests so far, Jaddu has been one in a kind — where he has established himself as the backbone of the lower middle-order, a lead spinner, and also a gun fielder. 3370 runs at an average of 35, and 323 wickets to his name, only amplify that. But come the England series on June 20, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that his prowess will be needed more on the batting front than on the bowling front.
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 32 | 1526 | 34 |
| Virat Kohli | 39 | 2028 | 30 |
| Rohit Sharma | 35 | 2160 | 36 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 28 | 1455 | 29 |
| Rishabh Pant | 32 | 2194 | 41 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 22 | 965 | 25 |
That’s because, not only has he been India’s one of the best batters in the last five years, but also the most dependable ones outside India, where the likes of Virat, Rohit, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane struggled. Just to give more context into this — Ravindra Jadeja has played 32 Tests since 2020, where he has scored 1526 runs at an average of 34.
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 14 | 630 | 35 |
| Virat Kohli | 21 | 1130 | 31 |
| Rohit Sharma | 18 | 828 | 37 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 16 | 1023 | 34 |
| Rishabh Pant | 20 | 1272 | 37 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 15 | 615 | 23 |
Outside of India, he has played 14, scored 630 runs and that too at an average of 35. Virat averages poor 30 overall in this time frame, and 31 outside India. Rohit has been slightly better with 36 average overall, and 37 outside India. Cheteshwar Pujara stands at 29 and 34, respectively, while Rahane is poor at 25, and 23, respectively.
Yes, there is a certain Rishabh Pant, who has been the best of the lot — with overall average of 41, and away average of 37, but then the recent Australia showed, that he isn’t the most reliable. And that is where Jadeja needs to play his part with the bat. Just to speak of his England record, in 12 Tests, he has scored 642 runs, that also includes a ton and three fifties, and averages 29 there.
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