Former England batting legend Geoffrey Boycott has showered praise on the veteran Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja after he achieved a unique Test double during the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
For the unversed, Jadeja entered an elite list of Test all-rounders, becoming only the fourth player ever to achieve the double of at least 4000 runs and 350 wickets in Tests. Jadeja joined Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Daniel Vettori with this feat.
In response to a social media post, Boycott wrote on X: “My favourite present-day cricketer.”
With over 4100 runs at an average of 38.03, Jadeja ranks 19th among the highest run-scorers for India in Tests. Jadeja’s 351 wickets are the fifth-highest for India in Tests. Boycott, during India’s Test tour of England last year, had reserved special praise for the veteran all-rounder.
“I like (Ravindra) Jadeja. I have never met him. He is always in the game. Bowls left-arm spin, his fielding is fantastic. I’ve always thought that through your performance, can you lift the others? And he fields so brilliantly, always has energy, and he can bat. Not just Test, he does well in T20 as well,” Boycott had told during India’s tour of England last year.
Jadeja ended the first innings against Sri Lanka with the figures of 3 for 57 as India bundled out Sri Lanka for 282 in their first innings. Young and promising left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who bagged four wickets, lauded the veteran all-rounder.
“He can land a ball on one spot. His consistency is world-class. So I want to learn from him that no matter what a batsman does, how long can you bowl on a spot and induce a false shot. There’s a lot to learn,” Suthar told reporters on Monday.
