“There are many kinds of news that come about me. In the middle there was news that I’m dead. I don’t think much about the news. I practice in the networks. I get better, the same on the field. It works for me.”

This statement by Ravindra Jadeja was given at the press conference during the Asian Cup in the last week of August last year, when a journalist asked him that in recent times he has been in news more about his physical condition than sports.

Everyone laughed after Jadeja’s comment. Actually, Jadeja had mocked the media in a very innocent and playful way.

Jadeja doesn’t hate the media, but she did realize that despite showing great play, she never got the status that half-capacity players got.

It can be said that it is just a coincidence that after that press conference, Jadeja had such a physical problem that she had to leave the Asian Cup halfway and return to India and could not even play in the T20 World Cup.

He turned to speculate quietly if his career was about to end.

His talent was called into question in the cricket media from the very beginning of his career. Those who used to score three centuries one after another in domestic cricket, mocked them saying that when Jadeja can also score three centuries in Rajkot, then understand what the pitch would be like.

But, now no one can make fun of Jadeja’s name in BCCI’s annual contract.

In the career of the last decade, Jadeja has achieved that position by facing every difficulty, where he is counted on the board alongside champion players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.

During the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, Jadeja received the Man of the Series award along with teammate and colleague Ravichandran Ashwin.

No spinner’s record against the Australians is as strong as Jadeja’s and you can guess that the likes of Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Muttiah Muralitharan have also played plenty of Test matches against the Kangaroos.

One more thing, none of the left arm spinners who have taken more than 150 wickets in Test cricket average are better than Jadeja.

From the greats Bishan Singh Bedi and Derek Underwood to today’s greats like Rangana Herat, Shakib Al Hasan and Daniel Vettori.

But, it is surprising that when greatness is mentioned, the name of Jadeja is not taken. What is the reason for this?

Jadeja’s bowling can’t be defined that way because it’s cheap, effective, but it doesn’t look like a magician.

The same applies to his hitting. He comes in the lower order and hits fast, plays the role of troubleshooter for the team, but still doesn’t get the respect he deserves as a hitter.

The general perception of his fielding is also that he is excellent but lacks the glamor of Yuvraj Singh.

And these things are in many ways self-contradictory.

After all, the player whom Rockstar Shane Warne himself started calling ‘Rockstar’ during the 2008 IPL, is a rock star in the cricket world because of his game, but he was never considered an A+ player by critics. .

Jadeja will get Rs 7 crore annually from BCCI A+ contract but many times more offers have been made for him in IPL in the past.

In the T20 format, Jadeja’s charm is different and he has often proven to be a trump card for Chennai Super Kings.

Last year, Jadeja was also given the Chennai captaincy at the start of the season, but had to give up this responsibility after the team’s disappointing game.

Dhoni was captain again and Jadeja felt for the first time that the attitude of the franchise and Dhoni was not right with him. He also expressed dissatisfaction with him.

This was not a minor thing. How many players are capable of expressing their discontent against a team like Dhoni and Chennai?

Perhaps a few years ago Jadeja himself could not do this, but today’s Jadeja knows that the world has accepted him.

Even before earning the BCCI A+ contract, they are now counted in that category. That is why, before the start of the new IPL, Dhoni and the Chennai team specially discussed with him separately and decided to forget the old bitterness and controversies and move on.

This is also not something minor like Jadeja’s brilliant career.