Not KL Rahul! Sourav Ganguly Calls This 36-Year-Old A Special Player
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has said that Ravindra Jadeja has been exceptional in the ongoing tour of England, with the star allrounder playing crucial roles in building partnerships with top-order batters on most occasions and in a desperate situation, with two tailenders as well.
Down and out at 112/8, Jadeja (61 not out off 181) took the match deep with the help of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah (5 off 54) and Mohammed Siraj (4 off 30) before ending up on the wrong side of the result in a match for the ages.
In an extended afternoon session, Jadeja batted alongside Bumrah and Siraj to take the visitors to 30 runs shy of the winning target of 193.
Ganguly was all praise for Jadeja for his brilliant fight that kept India in the hunt in the Lord's Test.
'Jadeja has been exceptional, he is going to continue to play for India as long as he bats and performs like this. He has been around for a long time. He has played some 80 Tests and more than 200 ODIs," Ganguly said while speaking to the media at an event in Mumbai.
'You can see him batting, bowling and fielding. He is a special player, and his batting has improved over the years with experience. He is a special player and a very important part of this team," Ganguly added.
It was Jadeja's fourth fifty in a row and came in the most trying circumstances with India staring at a big loss to England.
Jadeja's effort created a glimmer of hope for India. With the last batting pair of the allrounder and Nitish Reddy in the centre, India struggled to 95/7 after the first hour of play.
The track was playing its tricks, and Jadeja and Reddy looked to defend rather than counterattack. England skipper Ben Stokes, the warrior that he is, bowled a nine-over spell during which Reddy drove him through the cover to claim India's first boundary in 80 deliveries.
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First Published:
July 16, 2025, 10:17 IST
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