India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the toast of the Indian batting and bowling effort on the first two days of the ongoing first Test between India and Sri Lanka in Mohali.
India made 574/8d in their first innings in which Jadeja proved to be the highest scorer with a sublime knock of 175* with 17 fours and 3 sixes to his name. He added 100-run partnerships with Rishabh Pant (96), R Ashwin (61), and even Mohammad Shami (20*).
This was his second Test hundred and his highest score in Test cricket as well. He also broke the record of legendary Kapil Dev of the highest score by an Indian batting at no.7 in Tests. Kapil had made 163 against Sri Lanka in 1986, while Jadeja’s 175* surpassed it.
If Sri Lanka hadn’t been tormented by Jadeja with the willow enough, they were yet to face him with the ball.
Resuming Day 3 at 138/4 in the first innings, Sri Lanka could only manage 174 runs in total, as Ravindra Jadeja ran through the middle order with figures of 5/41. Ashwin and Bumrah picked 2 wickets each as well.
With his five-for, Jadeja became only the sixth player to do the double of scoring 150 plus and taking a five-wicket haul in the same Test match.
Meanwhile, this was somewhat of a goal that Ravindra Jadeja had set for himself. In 2020, Jadeja had appeared on ESPNCricinfo’s 25 questions segment and one of the questions during that segment was ‘a cricketing record he’d like to have at the end of his career?’
And Ravindra Jadeja had replied that the record would be to have a hundred and a five-wicket haul in the same innings, something he achieved against Sri Lanka in the Mohali.
Here is the video of Jadeja sharing his goal:
Here is the list of players with a 150 plus score and a fifer in the same Test:
Vinoo Mankad (184 & 5/196) v England 1952
Denis Atkinson (219 & 5/56) v Australia 1955
Polly Umrigar (172* & 5/107) v West Indies 1962
Gary Sobers (174 & 5/41) v England 1966
Mushtaq Mohammad (201 & 5/49) v New Zealand 1973
Ravindra Jadeja (175* & 5/41) v Sri Lanka 2022
(ANI inputs)