Ravindra Jadeja (2008-2017): The evolution in pictures

Despite an injury, Jadeja played the 2015 World Cup

In late-2014, an untimely finger injury sneaked out of nowhere and halted Jadeja's charge. Before the Boxing Day Test against Australia, Jadeja suffered an injury while training, and did not play a single Test until November the next year.

A shoulder injury that threatened to seriously throw his career off the rails also cropped up, but Jadeja was too valuable an asset to be excluded from the 2015 World Cup. The bold move did not pay rich dividends, as a jaded Jadeja took nine wickets from eight games during India's semi-final finish.

Indifferent form and injury issues led to his omission from the side

Indifferent form and injuries led to his omission from the side. Axar Patel was the beneficiary.

It wasn't until the 2015 series against South Africa that Jadeja got a recall, and fittingly, it was the Ranji Trophy that came to his rescue.

Jadeja was sensational during the 2015 series against South Africa

He scored 215 runs and picked up 38 wickets from four games to force his way back into the side, just in time for the series against South Africa at home, and was the star there as well, snaring 23 wickets from four games.

Jadeja and Ashwin have formed one of the most lethal bowling partnerships of the modern era

Over the next year and a half, Jadeja, along with Ravichandran Ashwin, formed the cornerstone of India's excellent run in Tests, including a near spotless home season. 14 wickets against New Zealand, and 25 wickets against Australia helped him rise to the No. 1 spot in the bowlers' Test rankings. He, along with Ashwin, became the first pair of spinners to be the joint No. 1 in Tests.

Kuldeep Yadav has been playing well in Jadeja's shadows

While he continued to rule the whites, the emergence of a new set of spinners in limited-overs cricket suddenly caught him off-guard. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav did extremely well in the limited chances they got, and the latter's quirky bowling style gave him an edge over his competitors.

Jadeja is a part of the Indian team that will tour South Africa in 2018

Despite being 'rested' for recent ODI series, Jadeja continues to be a vital part of Team India's Test fortunes, but more importantly, has brushed away the ignominious initial years to form a legacy of his own.