Indian pacer Ravindra Jadeja achieved another historic milestone in his career during the third Test between India and New Zealand in Mumbai. Jadeja joined the list of legends like Anil Kumble, Ravichandran Ashwin and Kapil Dev.
The left-arm spinner achieved this feat after picking up his third wicket of the day when he dismissed Glenn Phillips with a brilliant ball that went in after a pitch that didn’t turn. The ball broke Phillips’ stumps as the batsman had no idea where it was going.
Ravindra Jadeja reaches the historic milestone to join Anil Kumble and Ravichandran Ashwin
With Phillips’ wicket, Ravindra Jadeja entered the list of India’s top five wicket-takers in Test cricket. Jadeja surpassed Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan, who each scored 311 runs in their Test careers.
Currently, Jadeja is fifth in the list of highest wicket takers for India in Test cricket. Anil Kumble tops the list with 619 goals. Jadeja’s spin bowling partner Ravichandran Ashwin is second on the list with 533 wickets to his name so far.
Legendary Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev is third in this list with 434 goals. Kapil Dev is also India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests among fast bowlers and is currently the only fast bowler in the top five.
The fourth place in this list is taken by Harbhajan Singh who has 417 wickets to his name in 103 Tests. Jadeja is currently around 100 wickets behind Harbhajan.
Top five wicket takers in Tests for India
- 619 wickets – Anil Kumble
- 533* wickets – Ravichandran Ashwin
- 434 wickets – Kapil Dev
- 417 wickets – Harbhajan Singh
- 312* wickets -Ravindra Jadeja
Apart from Jadeja, all the above mentioned five players are professional bowlers. On the other hand, Jadeja is an all-rounder and contributes immensely with the bat as well. Shows how big he is for India both with bat and ball in Tests.
Jadeja has been one of the most important players for India over the years. In Test cricket, he is indispensable as he has the ability to contribute equally with both bat and ball. He can score big runs and can also bowl long spells with the ball.
Ravindra Jadeja takes a five-wicket haul
While his bowling has always been his strength, the improvement in his batting has been the highlight of his Test career. Over the past few years, Jadeja has turned himself into a reliable batsman who scores runs in every situation he plays.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja scored his 14th 5th wicket in Mumbai. New Zealand were cruising at one stage but Jadeja hit the brakes after lunch and took wickets in clusters. He finished with 5-65 in 22 overs to help India reduce New Zealand to 235 in the first innings.
