Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has predicted for Ravindra Jadeja to end up as the leading wicket-taker of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 series. Following Jadeja’s fantastic display in the first Test, which India won by an innings and 132 runs, Ponting believes Jadeja could well end up with the most wickets count in this series.
Returning to international cricket after a 5-month injury-forced layoff, Jadeja struck gold straight away and took a five-wicket haul on the first day of the Nagpur Test, and bowl Australia out for 177. On Day 2, he compiled a solid half-century, helping India reach a total of 400. He finished his game with two wickets in Australia’s second innings as R Ashwin took a five-fer.
In his five-fer, Ravindra Jadeja also dismissed Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Ravindra Jadeja was the Player of the Series in the 2017 series which India won 2-1 at home. Ricky Ponting won’t be surprised if Jadeja adds more awards to his list in this series.
“As the series goes on, if his body holds up and he can get through the four Test matches, I think he could very well be the leading wicket-taker in this entire series,” Ricky Ponting said on the ICC Review.
Before the Nagpur Test, and this series, Jadeja had proved his fitness during a Ranji game for Saurashtra against Tamil Nadu in Chennai. The southpaw bagged a 7-wicket haul with the ball and had, importantly, sent down 41 overs in the Chennai heat.
In Nagpur, then, Jadeja showed why he’s so crucial to Team India’s balance, and why he’s been one of India’s best Test batters in the past few years.
Ricky Ponting said he’d already had an feeling that Jadeja will be a nightmare for the Australian batters prior to the series.
“I had seen his return to first-class cricket last week and he got some 11 wickets or something. As soon as I saw that I knew Aussies were in for a nightmare.
“Because of how he (Jadeja) bowls on those sort of wickets – the pace that he bowls, the line that he bowls to right-handers in particular, where he is pitching the ball on the stumps all the time, and one would turn and one will slide on, like we saw, with the dismissal of Steven Smith today. I mean they’re two identical deliveries. One just happened to turn and the other one went straight on and went back through the gate and bowled him,” the former Aussie skipper added.
When is the second India-Australia Test?
The second Test match between India and Australia will start on February 17, Friday, in Delhi.
