By Karan Agrawal 
Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his impressive outing with the ball in the first ODI against England in Nagpur. The left-arm spinner picked up three wickets while conceding 26 runs in 9 overs giving his team the much-needed control after England got off to a rollicking start with the bat as the opening duo of Phil Salt and Ben Duckett scored at a rate of more than seven runs per over. Jadeja who came into the attack after the first powerplay kept a check on the proceeding as he went through his overs at a rapid pace giving the English batters no time to line him up.
The Performance
Jadeja was well supported by fellow spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel both of whom made a strong comeback in their second spells after leaking a few runs in the first. Along with his bowling, Jadeja was at his usual best in the field as he saved crucial runs both inside the 30-yard circle and in the outfield which helped India restrict England to a below-par total of 248 runs as the Jos Buttler-led side failed to play the full quota of 50 overs.
The Praise
Ravichandran Ashwin didn’t mimic his words while praising Ravindra Jadeja as the off-spinner said that the media fails to appreciate a player when he does well. In the words of Ashwin, “Our media fails to appreciate when a player does well. Whenever we lose, everyone becomes a villain. He dismissed Joe Root [in the first ODI]. Jadeja always goes under the radar. He is a ‘Jackpot Jango.’ He is +10 in the field, also bowls well, and bats in pressure situations as well. We don’t give Jadeja enough credit,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The Effort
“Jadeja is way more gifted than I ever can be. He is a born athlete. His major advantages lie in his physical fitness. He is naturally fit. Even at this age, he can cover the entire area from long-on to deep square leg while standing at mid-wicket. I wouldn’t be surprised. And I will be more than happy for him,” he added. Along with his effort with the ball Ravindra Jadeja also chipped in with a small but crucial knock of 12 runs from 10 balls as the left-hander guided India home from a peculiar situation when the team lost three quick wickets with a few runs still needed.
The Record
With his all-round performance in the first match against England Jadeja became only the second Indian player to score 6000 runs and pick 600 wickets in international cricket with the first Indian to achieve this milestone being former World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev. Along with it Jadeja also broke the record of former English fast bowler James Anderson to become the leading wicket-taker in India vs England ODIs. The left-arm spinner now has 42 wickets in 27 ODI matches registered to his name.