Star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja made a candid admission about his stunning revival with the bat in Test cricket during the first Test match of the two-match series between India and Sri Lanka, which started on Saturday (15th August). The star all-rounder returned to the Indian playing XI after missing the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June after being rested by the selectors.

Jadeja has established himself as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the sport with over 4000 runs in the longest format of the game. He is just two short of joining the rare club of players with 350 wickets in Test cricket.

While at the early stages of his career, it was his left-arm spin that made him a key part of the Indian team. In recent years, he has become one of the team’s most dependable batters. While Jadeja currently has a Test batting average of 38.27, he averaged only 29.4 till the end of 2017. Since the start of 2018, his batting average has shot up to 43.11

Ravindra Jadeja’s Candid Admission

In an interaction with Sanjay Manjrekar for Sony Sports ahead of play starting on Day, Jadeja went deep into his struggles in the early phase of his career. The 37-year-old revealed that he knew he had the ability, but batting at number eight and nine affected his confidence. He further revealed that while his turn came to bat, fast-bowlers were already preparing to bowl, which made him feel a lack of faith in his ability.

“If you look at my entire Ranji Trophy career, my average is more than 60. 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,” said Jadeja.

“And sometimes the situation is such that I have batted at number 8 and 9 as well. So, when you are sitting in the dressing room with your pads on, next to you, a fast bowler is selecting a ball. So seeing all those things, my morale and my confidence would go down,” he added. “Sometimes you think to yourself, ‘I have to go and score runs.” And in that same dressing room, a fast bowler is selecting the ball, thinking, “Come on, now bowling is coming.” 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,” he added.

Not only has Jadeja’s average seen a massive rise with the bat, but the increased faith in the team has resulted in a promotion in the batting order for him. The left-handed batter has walked out to bat at number six on several occasions for the team, while the number seven spot has become a regular for him. He also remains among the team’s frontline spinners in the longest format of the game.