Jadeja became only the fourth cricketer in history to achieve the milestone of 350 Test wickets and over 4,000 Test runs.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif hailed Ravindra Jadeja as a "Kohinoor diamond" after the veteran all-rounder crossed 350 Test wickets and over 4,000 Test runs during the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Kaif emphasized that India's team balance completely collapses without Jadeja because he seamlessly fulfills two major roles and also compared his impact to the legendary Kapil Dev and Daniel Vettori.
Kaif pointed out that while seasoned campaigners like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin have stepped away from the Test format, Jadeja continues to play without showing signs of slowing down.
"Kohinoor diamond. If you remove him, your team won't get created. The balance won't come. He does two jobs - batting and bowling. He made his debut in 2012. It is a journey of 14-15 years. We talk about him scoring runs and taking wickets whenever required," Kaif said during a discussion on Sony Sports.
"Kapil Dev is there. Daniel Vettori's name is there. We are not even talking about the fielding. We aren't able to make a team as soon as an all-rounder goes out. We have not been able to find Hardik Pandya's replacement to date. It doesn't seem like he is slowing down. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ashwin have gone, but he is playing," he added.
Ex-India captain Ajay Jadeja, who was also part of the panel discussion, also commended Ravindra Jadeja for becoming the first Indian left-arm spinner to claim 350 Test wickets.
"I am not a big fan of numbers. However, some numbers can be created in a day. Many players do incredible things one day. These numbers are created by performing for years, every season. 350 Test wickets is not a small thing," Ajay Jadeja said.
Ravindra Jadeja joined Kapil, Ian Botham, and Vettori as one of the rare players in Test history to score over 4,000 runs and take 350+ wickets.
"In India's 600-Test history, no left-arm spinner has taken 350 wickets. See the list in which his name is there. See the names before him. This is a milestone in a huge journey. We could have celebrated him yesterday as well when he had two fewer wickets, and we might keep celebrating him tomorrow as well when wickets keep getting added to this," he further remarked.