ENG vs IND: Ravindra Jadeja slams his third Test century
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has slammed his third century in Test cricket. The 33-year-old raced to the three-figure mark on Day 2 of the ongoing fifth Test against England at Edgbaston. Notably, Jadeja has registered his maiden ton in the format away from home. The left-handed batter rescued the Indian innings along with Rishabh Pant on the opening day. Here are the key stats.
Jadeja's fourth 50+ score in England
Jadeja now has 571 runs in England in 11 Tests. He averages over 30 and has belted four 50+ scores (one century, three fifties). The all-rounder has now achieved his best score in England, surpassing the previous best (86* in 2018). His scores in the 2021 series versus England read 56, 40, 3, 4, 30, 10, 17, and 104.
Jadeja and Pant helped India recover
India got off to a positive start on Day 1 before Shubman Gill played a poor shot to gift his wicket away. Cheteshwar Pujara looked solid before perishing for 13. Hanuma Vihari got a start but was dismissed for 20. Virat Kohli (11) and Shreyas Iyer (15) departed cheaply. Jadeja and Rishabh Pant helped the tourists recover from 98/5.
Left-handed batters shine forth!
As per Cricbuzz, this is just the third instance of two left-handers scoring hundreds in same Test innings for India. Other two instances: S Ramesh (110) and Sourav Ganguly (125) vs NZ (1999), Sourav Ganguly (239) and Yuvraj Singh (169) vs Pakistan (2007).
Another significant feat for Jadeja
Jadeja has become the fourth Indian to score two Test tons in a calendar year batting at number seven or lower. Others are Kapil Dev (1986), MS Dhoni (2009), and Harbhajan Singh (2010). Earlier this year, Jadeja scored a career-best 175* against Sri Lanka. He broke Kapil's record of the highest Test score by an Indian batter at number seven or lower.
Jadeja races to 1,000 away runs (Tests)
During his scintillating knock, Jadeja also completed 1,000 runs in foreign conditions. He now has 1,012 runs from 23 away Tests at an average of 32.64. The tally includes as many as eight 50+ scores. Jadeja also owns 69 Test wickets overseas.
