Ravindra Jadeja creates history, scores third first-class triple ton

December 3, 2012

jadeja3Ton


Mumbai, December 3: Discarded India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was more in the news last season for the amount he fetched in the IPL auctions for season 5. Chennai Super Kings, owned by BCCI president N Srinivasan, bagged the Saurashtra cricketer for an astronomical $2 million (Rs 9.72 crore approx) after winning the tie-breaker that followed a theatrical bidding war with Deccan Chargers.

On Sunday though, he made news for his on-field exploits. The left-hander scored 320 not out against Railways at Rajkot and became the first Indian to post three first-class triple hundreds, surpassing the feats of Vijay Hazare, Raman Lamba, VVS Laxman, Wasim Jaffer and Virender Sehwag.

Jadeja had scored 303 against Gujarat at Surat last month. His first triple ton was registered against Orissa (314 ) at Cuttack last November. While Sehwag's triple tons have come at the Test level, both Jaffer and Laxman's epics have come in the Ranji Trophy.

What's more, Jadeja ensured that his name will be mentioned in the same breath as that of Don Bradman as he became only the eighth man in history to have three 300-plus scores in first-class cricket, joining Bradman, Brian Lara, Bill Ponsford, Wally Hammond, WG Grace, Graeme Hick and Mike Hussey.

Jadeja hit 28 fours and seven sixes during his marathon 11-and-a-half-hour knock, facing 491 deliveries. "It's a tremendous achievement," exclaimed out-of-favour Indian opener and Mumbai stalwart Jaffer.

"To score two triple hundreds in a season, which is just five matches old, is not a joke. He was always rated highly, but was known more as a swashbuckling batsman who was a good bowler and exceptional fielder.

"But he has worked on his game and this spell out of the Indian team seems to have made him hungrier and has forced him to work harder," Jaffer added.

Saurashtra coach Debu Mitra, who has worked with players like Jadeja and rising India star Cheteshwar Pujara since their under-19 days and who has been with the side since nine years, endorses that view.

"He doesn't get satisfied easily these days and wants to work hard. He keeps telling me to watch him in the nets and even when I tell him that all is fine, he will ask, 'Sir, dekho kuch gadbad to nahin (See is there is a problem with my batting )," Mitra said.

Jadeja, who has represented India in 58 ODIs and 12 T20s, hasn't yet played Tests. Coach Mitra says the One-day tag is unfair to him. "He is ready for Tests as he is willing to show patience and can bat for long periods. His bowling too has improved a lot as his 13 wickets in four matches show."


Deconstructing his ward's knock, Mitra said: "As we were 90 for 4, I had told him, bahar ka ball mat khelna (leave outgoing deliveries). Of the 491 deliveries he faced, he must have left close to 200. That's application. The only time he got aggressive was when he was approaching his double hundred. But he settled down again. He wants to score big hundreds these days."

Jadeja hails from Jamnagar, a city known for its big oil companies.

His recent cricketing feats have only made the city, 337 kms west of Gujarat capital Gandhinagar, that much slicker.

BATTING ON & ON...

Ravindra Jadeja, with his unbeaten 320 vs Railways in a Ranji Trophy match, has become the first Indian batsman to post three triple hundreds in first-class cricket. Jadeja is also the top run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy this season, with 645 runs at 161.25 in four matches.



EARLIER TRIPLE TONS

314 vs Orissa at Cuttack in Nov 2011
303 not out vs Gujarat at Surat in Nov 2012

FIRST-CLASS BATTING RECORD

Match 42, Runs 3017, Ave 53.87, 100s 7, 50s 10

OTHERS WITH THREE OR MORE TRIPLE TONS IN FIRST-CLASS CRICKET

Don Bradman (6), Bill Ponsford and Wally Hammond (4 each), WG Grace, Graeme Hick, Brian Lara, Mike Hussey (3 each).



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News Network
January 22,2020

New Delhi, Jan 22: The pitches in New Zealand have become a lot more batting-friendly over the years, says iconic former batsman Sachin Tendulkar, insisting that India have the “ammunition” to trouble the sprightly hosts during the upcoming series.

Tendulkar, who has been on a record five New Zealand tours since 1990, feels that from seaming tracks during his early trips years, the tracks became high-scoring hard ones during his last tour back in 2009.

“Of late, the Tests in New Zealand have been high scoring and surfaces have changed,” Tendulkar told PTI during an exclusive interview.

India will play five T20 Internationals, three ODIs and two Tests during the tour starting with the shortest format on January 24.

From 2002, when India played ODIs and Tests on green tops, to 2009, when India won only their second Test series in 32 years, Tendulkar has seen it all in New Zealand.

“I remember when we played in 2009, the Hamilton pitch was different compared to other pitches. Other pitches got harder (Wellington and Napier) but not Hamilton. It remained soft.

“But Napier became hard with passage of time (where Gautam Gambhir scored an epic match-saving 12-hour hundred in 2009). So, from my first tour (in 1990 till 2009), I realised pitches got harder with passage of time,” Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar is confident that the Indian bowling attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, has the ammunition to put New Zealand in trouble.

“We have a good bowling attack with quality fast bowlers as well as spinners. I believe we have the ammunition to compete in New Zealand.”

However, in Wellington, Tendulkar wants the team to be well-prepared to counter the breeze factor.

“Wellington, I have played and it makes a huge difference if you are bowling with the wind or against the wind. The batsman needs to be judicious in the choice of which end he wants to attack, it is very important,” he said.

Tendulkar said he would prefer spinners to bowl against the breeze.

“...the seamers bowling against the strong breeze need to be smart. So I would prefer that if there is strong breeze, let the spinner bowl from that end and from the opposite end, the fast bowler bowls with the breeze behind him,” he said.

The maestro is confident that Rohit Sharma's white ball experience will hold him in good stead in the Tests as well, an assignment that has been kept for the last leg of the trip, which begins with five T20 Internationals from January 24.

“The challenge would be to go out and open in different conditions. I think Rohit had opened in New Zealand in ODIs and has been there quite a few times, he knows the conditions well. Eventually, Test cricket is Test cricket,” he said.

“But all depends on surfaces that they provide. If they provide green tops, then it's a challenge.”

There is no Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Deepak Chahar in limited-overs series but Tendulkar is not ready to press the panic button.

“Injuries are part and parcel of the game when you play and push your body to the limits.

“When you play for your country you need to give your best and while you give your best, you can get injured. That's okay,” he concluded.

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News Network
May 27,2020

Bengaluru, May 27: Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed that he was never able to dismiss Inzamam-ul-Haq in the nets.

The Rawalpindi Express praised the former Pakistan skipper and said Inzamam could see the ball one second earlier than the rest of the batsmen could.

"Honestly, I don't think I could ever get him (Inzamam) out, he had the time and I always felt he saw the ball a second earlier than the rest of the batsmen because I had a complicated action unlike Brett Lee, I felt I could never dismiss Inzamam-ul-Haq," Akhtar told Sanjay Manjrekar in a videocast hosted by ESPNCricinfo.

"I couldn't get him out in the nets, I think he could see the ball a second before anyone else," he added.

Inzamam played 120 Tests and 378 ODIs for Pakistan.

He finished his career with 20,569 runs across all formats.

The right-handed batsman called time on his career in 2007 and he played his last Test against South Africa in Lahore.

On the other hand, Akhtar played 224 matches for Pakistan in international cricket and took 444 wickets across all formats.

The Rawalpindi Express last played an ODI in 2011 as he played against New Zealand in the 50-over World Cup.

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News Network
February 11,2020

Mt. Maunganui (New Zealand), Feb 11: KL Rahul struck a combative 112 but New Zealand completed a 3-0 whitewash of India by winning the third ODI by five wickets, here on Tuesday.

Rahul helped India recover from a shaky start to post a challenging 296 for 7 but the Kiwis overhauled the target with 17 balls to spare.

This is the first whitewash that India has suffered in an ODI series in more than a decade.

Sent in to bat, India were down 62 for 3 in the 13th over after the dismissals of Mayank Agarwal (1), captain Virat Kohli (9) and Prithvi Shaw (40) but Rahul got a useful ally in in-form Shreyas Iyer (62) to take India to a competitive total.

Rahul, who hit nine fours and two sixes during his 113-ball innings, and Iyer stitched exactly 100 runs from 18.2 overs for the fourth wicket to revive the Indian innings.

After the end of the promising innings of Iyer, Rahul shared another 107 runs for the fifth wicket with Manish Pandey (42).

The Kiwis were off to a confident start in their chase with Martin Guptill (66) and Henry Nicholls (80) and putting on a 106-run stand. However, wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took three wickets to bring India back in the game.

Colin de Grandhomme (58) and Tom Latham (32), though, took their side past the finish line with an unbeaten 80-run partnership.

Brief Scores:

India: 296 for 7 in 50 overs (KL Rahul 112, Shreyas Iyer 62; Hamish Bennett 4/64).

New Zealand: 300 for 5 in 47.1 overs. (H Nicholls 80, M Guptill 66; Y Chahal 3/47).

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