IND vs WI, 1st Test: Not thinking about records or milestones, just enjoying my cricket, says Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja ‘missed’ his long-time spin partner Ravichandran Ashwin when he featured in his 50th Test at home. While Ashwin retired from the game last December, it was the first time Jadeja was playing without him at home.

But he made sure that Ashwin’s absence had no impact on his game as Jadeja scored his sixth Test hundred and claimed a four-fer in the second innings to guide India to an innings and 140-run win against the West Indies.

At the Narendra Modi Stadium, Jadeja partnered with Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar and ensured that the spin department fared well. But once the match was over, within three days, Jadeja admitted that his long-time partner was indeed missed.

“Obviously, we do miss him (Ashwin), Jadeja said. “Ash has contributed so much to Indian cricket, been a match-winner for so many years. I was playing a [Test] match in India without Ash for the first time, so sometimes I did find myself thinking, yeah, Ash will come on and bowl, and then realising he isn’t there. But Kuldeep and Washy have already played so many matches, and we can’t call them youngsters, but it was a different combination.”

But being a seasoned campaigner, he understands that such is life. “In the future, you will ask, Jaddu isn’t here, and someone else will be there. This is inevitable, and it will keep happening, but it feels good to contribute to the team.”

The century here meant Jadeja extended his incredible outing with the bat. So far this year, he has amassed 659 runs in seven Tests at an average of 82.37, with two hundreds and five fifties. Now, he is quite close to achieving the double of 4000 runs and 300 wickets in Test cricket.

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Kapil Dev is the only all-rounder to have scored 5000 runs and 400 wickets, but such statistics don’t bother him. “You’re putting pressure on me now,” Jadeja quipped. “Now, I will have to start thinking about how to score 1000 more runs and take 60-70 more wickets.”

By his own admission, he has worked a lot on his batting. “I’ve made some changes both mentally and skill-wise. I used to have a different mindset before, in my batting, but I’ve made a few changes now,” he said.

“At this stage, I’m enjoying my cricket. I’m not thinking about records or milestones. I’m just working on my fitness and enjoying my cricket. Whenever I’m at home, I always work on my fitness so that I just continue doing what I’ve been doing [for] so many years, so that’s about it,” he said.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, Jadeja is not a fitness freak, nor does he want to put up any pictures or videos on social media about his fitness. For him, keeping things simple is the key.

“Injuries can happen anytime,” he said. “There is no guarantee, and no precautions you can take [against them]. If you’re giving your 100 per cent on the ground, you could have to dive anytime or put in an effort for a catch or a run-out.

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“Luckily, by god’s grace, I haven’t been injured that much and I work a lot on my fitness. I don’t put up a lot of videos of what all I do on social media, but I do it. And it has been making a difference on the ground, and it feels good that I’m able to give my 100 per cent at this age, and it doesn’t feel like my fitness level is going down, so it puts me in a good frame of mind,” he said.

At 36, he knows how to handle his sleep cycle, manage eating habits and also get ready for a long, grinding series. He has been following a disciplined regime for the longest time, which has worked well for him.

And, Jadeja doesn’t want to change. Neither his game, nor his routine.

Published on Oct 04, 2025