Jacques Kallis, Ben Stokes, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, and Sir Garfield Sobers are some names that typically dominate any debate around the greatest all-rounder to have played the sport. Yet, one name often goes under the radar in that conversation.
And that name is none other than India's Ravindra Jadeja, who continues to go from strength to strength in Test cricket.
The left-arm batter and spinner has amassed more than 7,000 runs across formats, to go with 600 international wickets. He will next be seen in action in the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka.
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Former England pacer Stuart Broad gave Jadeja high marks ahead of the series opener in Galle, praising the all-rounder's incredible longevity in the game.
Broad did, however, also make a more light-hearted comment that he used to feel "annoyed" whenever Jadeja burst into his signature sword celebration upon hitting the 50-run milestone.
He further noted that he never quite understood why Jadeja would celebrate so animatedly on getting to a half-century, pointing out that there were also batters who scored centuries or even double hundreds and still didn't celebrate with the same intensity.
“His celebration used to annoy me a bit, like, what's this guy waving his bat around for a 50? I remember saying to him on a few occasions that batters actually average 50 and that you are carrying on like this. It's flair, but I would have saved it for a hundred,” Broad said on the For the Love of Cricket podcast.
“His numbers are phenomenal to the point where they never knew whether to play him or Ravi Ashwin in England. That's a testament to Jadeja,” Broad added.
The 37-year-old holds a solid record against England in Tests with an average over 40 with the bat, which includes three centuries and 11 half-centuries to his name.
Jos Buttler, who was part of the same conversation with Broad, described Jadeja as a "nightmare" to bowl to, calling him a proper gutsy player.
Jadeja was at his absolute best on India's last tour of England, where he piled up more than 500 runs at an average of 86, including a century and five fifties.
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“He is a nightmare to face, especially in India. With him, I think about moments, and he's a proper gutsy player. With his batting, especially when the game was tight, he always seemed to stand up," Buttler said.
"When his team needed runs, he could do it. He had a bit of a hybrid role as well, where sometimes he would come out at 5 with the ball swinging around. He's an underrated batter in a funny way,” he added.
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