'My confidence was disturbed': Ravindra Jadeja on early career challenges
What's the story
Star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has opened up about the challenges he faced at the start of his international career. He revealed that being pushed down the batting order often affected his confidence and made him question if the team really had faith in his batting skills. The all-rounder spoke about these issues ahead of Day 2 of India's ongoing opening Test match against Sri Lanka.
Confidence crisis
Jadeja's belief in his abilities
Jadeja, who started his First-Class career batting at number four, said he had a strong belief in his abilities due to his impressive Ranji Trophy average of over 60.
However, the southpaw admitted that not getting a consistent batting spot in the Indian team often left him questioning his place.
"Whatever Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy first-class cricket I have played domestically, my batting average is more than 60. So somewhere, I had that belief that I had that ability. But sometimes what happens is that you come into the Indian team and you don't get that batting number," Jadeja said in a chat with broadcasters.
Dressing room dynamics
Disturbed confidence and batting order issues
In his early international career, Jadeja often batted at numbers eight or nine, even below Ravichandran Ashwin.
He said this made him question if the team had full faith in his batting skills.
"So because of all those things, my confidence was literally disturbed. I would think, 'Oh man, what is this? The team doesn't even have confidence in me? So I have seen that in my early days, that I didn't get that number," Jadeja revealed.
Match context
India's strong start to the Test match
Jadeja's candid reflections came as India dominated the first day of the Test against Sri Lanka.
The rain-affected day's play saw India ending at a strong 288/2.
Devdutt Padikkal was the star of the day, scoring his maiden Test century with an unbeaten 131.
KL Rahul also contributed significantly with a knock of 77, while Rishabh Pant remained unbeaten on 27 at stumps.
Stats
Jadeja: One of India's greatest all-rounders
Despite the early challenges, Jadeja has emerged as one of India's greatest all-rounders.
The combination of his reliable lower-order runs, left-arm spin, and elite fielding makes Jadeja one of the most complete all-rounders.
Across 89 Tests for India, Jadeja has recorded 4,095 runs at a fine average of 38.27. With the ball, he boasts 348 wickets at an average of 25.11.
Overall, he has scored 7,515 international runs at 34, besides scalping 634 wickets at 29.70.