"Ravindra Jadeja is becoming the genuine all-rounder we talk about" - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir believes Ravindra Jadeja is becoming the genuine all-rounder that Indian cricket has been craving for.

Jadeja smoked an unbeaten 175 in India's first innings of the ongoing Mohali Test against Sri Lanka. He also looked extremely threatening with the ball and snared the wicket of Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir was effusive in his praise for Jadeja. He observed:

"I believe Ravindra Jadeja is becoming the genuine all-rounder we talk about. There was no doubt that he had the hitting ability in T20 cricket and that he can contribute in ODI cricket."

The former India cricketer was particularly delighted with Jadeja's growth as a batter over the last few years. Gambhir said:

"The way he has contributed with the bat - whether it was England, Australia or now India - it is a great sign for Indian cricket, a genuine all-rounder who can bat at No. 7 and along with that he has more than 200 wickets in Tests."

Jadeja has amassed 966 runs at an excellent average of 48.30 in the 18 Tests he has played since the beginning of 2019.

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"When Ravindra Jadeja came to bat yesterday, he played second fiddle" - Gautam Gambhir

Ravindra Jadeja pushed the accelerator pedal as his innings progressed [P/C: BCCI]

Gautam Gambir was asked about the reason behind Jadeja's transformation. He responded:

"The most important thing is to assess the situation. If you see this knock, you would have felt that there were phases where it was very easy to score runs but when he came to bat yesterday, he played second fiddle."

While lauding Jadeja for immaculately pacing his innings, the cricketer-turned-politician highlighted that the all-rounder's game has improved with growing experience. Gambhir explained:

"He strung together a partnership with Rishabh Pant, then with Ravichandran Ashwin. He played aggressively after Ashwin got out, so you saw everything in this innings. You saw the defense, attack, the game sense and how to assess the situation in Test cricket. Ultimately, you get all these things with experience."

Ravindra Jadeja came into bat when Team India were in a slight spot of bother, having lost half the side with the score reading 228. He was then involved in three century partnerships, playing the supporting act to Rishabh Pant and gradually moving into the dominant role while batting alongside Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami.