Ravindra Jadeja: A thoroughbred who found his own course
Ravindra Jadeja's run in the just-concluded World Cup, his last T20I assignment for India, summed up his whole career — a perpetual less-than-equal partner of the star performers in the team. In white-ball formats, the focus was always on Jasprit Bumrah and KulCha (Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal), while in Tests Ravichandran Ashwin wore the armband of the lead spinner.
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He never really grumbled over it or, as is the trend these days, never put out a cryptic one-line post on his social media accounts.
Even while bringing the curtains down on his T20I stint, Jadeja was in the shadows of the icons.
Perhaps, the 35-year-old all-rounder had already made up his mind, as reported by PTI on June 28, but knew that a retirement announcement alongside Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would end up as a mere footnote.
In the Americas too, Jadeja was a part of India's eight matches, but his contribution was sparse — 35 runs and one wicket across 14 overs.
Perhaps, he attracted more camera time during India's victory parade at the Kensington Oval after their epochal win over South Africa in the final.
It may be that his numbers in the ultra-abridged version did not match those in other two formats.
Jadeja has played 74 T20Is, making 515 runs without ever reaching fifty and 54 wickets at an economy of 7.1. It was a tad underwhelming for a player who always prided on his ability
