Something Has Changed With Ravindra Jadeja In The Last Four Years: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batsman, Sanjay Manjrekar has once again made comments on Ravindra Jadeja. Though this time instead of criticising, he has indeed praised the left-hander’s batting.

Manjrekar’s lauded Jadeja for the massive improvement in his batting over the last few years. He made his views aired after Jadeja not only saved the Indian innings from a collapse but along with Ajinkya Rahane, he has taken India to a commanding position by the end of day 2 in Melbourne against Australia.

Sanjay Manjrekar feels Jadeja always had the technique – he has multiple domestic triple hundreds -but now he has matured a lot mentally while batting and doesn’t throw his wicket away anymore.

“The early part he was playing as Test all-rounder of a sort, his bowling was fine but his batting for a couple of years had become a bit of harakiri. Something changed in the last 4 years,” Sanjay Manjrekar told Sony Sports Networks.

“He is getting behind the ball, leaving balls, even today against a quality bowling attack, he did not throw his wicket to avoid the fast bowlers before the second new ball was taken. He hung in there, so temperamentally, the technique has always been there, batting ability has always been there,” he added.

Things changed after 2015 with Ravindra Jadeja the batsman: Sanjay Manjrekar

The 55-year-old pointed out that Ravichandran Ashwin was the preferred spinner – especially in overseas conditions – and Ashwin had the advantage of providing runs with the bat over Jadeja. However, in the last 4-5 years, the Saurashtra-born has made massive improvements in his batting.

In Test cricket, Jadeja’s batting average has improved each year since 2015. From 21.80 in 2015 to 37.50 in 2016 to 41.00 in 2017, and 45.60 in 2018. The southpaw averaged a terrific 62.85 in 2019 and including his 40* on the second day of the ongoing Test against Australia, he averages 65.00 in 2020.

The 32-year-old is amongst the elite all-rounders in the world; since 2016, he averages 46 with the bat and 26 with the ball in Test cricket- better than Ben Stokes, Shakib Al Hasan, and Jason Holder.

Sanjay Manjrekar, who has in the last couple of years made plenty of scathing remarks on Jadeja’s inclusion in the Indian team, has earlier admitted that the left-hander has proved him wrong, and now the former batsman in all in praise of India’s star all-rounder.

“Things changed after 2015 with Ravindra Jadeja- the batsman. It was also the time when Ashwin was batting before him, Ashwin had four Test hundreds and Jadeja had nothing. Jadeja was competing with Ashwin as the spinner in the side. Ashwin’s batting dropped and Jadeja’s batting sort of skyrocketed. This guy always had a great first-class record and finally, when he got his number, he felt ‘Wow, let me make most of it’,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.

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