Ravindra Jadeja has joined an exclusive club of Test all-rounders, and he got there faster than anyone else in it. During India’s tour of Sri Lanka, he took his 350th Test wicket at Galle International Stadium by dismissing Keshara Nuwantha.
A rare double
The wicket puts him alongside Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Daniel Vettori as players with 4,000 runs and 350 wickets in Tests. Jadeja is the quickest of the four to complete the double and the only one to do it in fewer than 100 Tests.
He also dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva earlier in the same innings and contributed 13 with the bat.
Standing among India’s greats
Jadeja is only the fifth Indian bowler to reach 350 Test wickets. He is also the second Indian, after Kapil Dev, to pair 4,000-plus runs with 350 wickets.
How the others finished
Kapil Dev ended his Test career with 5,248 runs and 434 wickets in 131 matches. Botham finished with 5,200 runs and 383 wickets. Vettori retired from Tests with 4,531 runs and 362 wickets from 113 matches.
Set against those names, the speed of Jadeja’s achievement stands out. His steady contributions with bat and ball keep him among the best all-rounders of the modern game.
