You cannot imagine the current Indian side in any format without Ravindra Jadeja taking the all-rounders slot. No matter what conditions India is playing in, his presence is of paramount importance for the Indian side and time and again, he lived up to his reputation and enhanced it.
Currently, he is the number one ranked bowler in Test matches, which is the pinnacle every cricketer dreams of growing up. But life was never really so easy for Jadeja, who had to go through some adversities which we cannot even imagine of enduring.
Jadeja spent majority of his childhood in a one room flat in Navagam Ghed, Gujarat. That flat was allotted to them as his mother Lata Jadeja was a nurse in a government hospital. His mother fought bravely against all the stupid stereotypes and cultures, which prevented women from working. His father Anirudh Jadeja was often into small jobs, which lasted for a short period of time.
In his school days, Jadeja often used to come home crying from school as his seniors never gave him a chance to bat. He said in interview that he used to cry the entire day because of it, which just sums up how much he loves the gentlemen’s game.
But everyone gets to meet one person in their life who change your life completely. For Jadeja, it was Mahendrasinh Chauhan, a policeman by profession who was also a small-time cricketer, who used to coach young cricketers at a place called Cricket Bungalow.
Jadeja, who was initially interested in fast bowling, turned into a mainstream left arm orthodox spinner on the instructions of Chauhan, who used to give him some special tips on how to flight the ball. Chauhan was very strict with his coaching and there were innumerable occasions when Jadeja got slapped by his coach.
Jadeja was making great inroads in the junior level despite of being surrounded by so many financial predicaments. But one of the toughest moments of his life came when he was 17, as he lost his mother, who left the world without watching his son playing for team India.
Jadeja once said in an interview that his mother’s final wish was to see him play for India and look where he stands this day. Life won’t pose easy questions, but at the end of the day, you gotta face them bravely and stand up on your feet.
Ravindra Jadeja is trolled sometimes for various stupid reasons, but not many realise how much he had to struggle to get to this level. Jadeja is a true champion, who set a bench mark for the youngsters to follow.
