England pace legend Stuart Broad has opened up about his on-field skirmishes with India’s veteran Ravindra Jadeja and why the spin all-rounder’s trademark celebration had left him miffed on a few occasions.
Broad and England have been on the receiving end of Jadeja’s batting prowess over the years. The Saurashtra all-rounder averages over 40 with the bat against the Englishmen, recording three centuries and 11 fifties. Jadeja is prompt in marking each of his milestones – a half-century or a ton – with a sword-fighting celebration.
“His celebration used to annoy me a bit, like, what’s this guy waving his bat around for a 50? I remember I used to say to him on a few occasions that batters actually average 50 and you are carrying on like this. It’s flair, but I would have saved it for a hundred,” Broad said on the For the Love of Cricket podcast.
‘A nightmare’
Broad’s co-host and veteran England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler reserved high praise for Jadeja who has tormented his side on numerous occasions, particularly at home.
“He is a nightmare to face, especially in India. With him, I think about moments, and he’s a proper gutsy player. With his batting especially, when the game was tight, he always seemed to stand up. When his team needed runs, he could do it. He had a bit of a hybrid role as well, where sometimes he would come out at 5 with the ball swinging around. He’s an underrated batter in a funny way,” said Buttler about Jadeja.
“His numbers are phenomenal to the point where they never knew whether to play him or Ravi Ashwin in England. That’s a testament to Jadeja,” added Broad.
Jadeja remains one of the most accomplished Indian all-rounders of all time, amassing over 7000 runs and 600 wickets across formats. The 37-year-old will return to action on Saturday when India face Sri Lanka in the first Test of the two-match series in Galle.