Former England opener Nick Knight has showered praise on Ravindra Jadeja, lauding the talisman for his all-round abilities. Knight said he will pick Jadeja in his World XI as he feels there aren’t many as good as him.
The all-rounder missed the second Test match at Vizag due to a hamstring injury, which he suffered in the second innings of the opening Test while running between the wickets.
Jadeja top-scored with 87 in the first innings of the Hyderabad Test and India played Kuldeep Yadav in place of him in the second game.
Meanwhile, Jadeja joined forces with skipper Rohit Sharma with India tottering at 33-3 but he is batting unbeaten on 68 and has added a crucial alliance with the opener. Jadeja scored his 21st Test half-century and he will look to continue the good show.
“I reckon, Jadeja is in my World XI as one of the early picks. He gives you everything, the balance that he gives to the side. Also because of his other skills, his fielding, even in Tests. He takes a great catch, more often than not. He is that sort of all-round cricketer. I don’t think there are too many as good as him in the world,” Nick Knight told Sports18.
On the other hand, former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble also hailed Ravindra Jadeja for his consistent performances with the bat. Jadeja is also on the cusp of completing 3000 runs in Test cricket.
“He has been brilliant. Over the last two years, he has been extremely consistent with his batting. We all knew the ability that Jaddu has. He has got a 300 on this ground in first-class cricket. He bats like a proper batter. He is not like a bowler who can bat. He is the No. 1 in the world and he has shown that. He is kind of a floater in this line-up to negate the spin and he has done that here today. We saw that in the Test Championship, so Jadeja is looked at as a proper batter,” Kumble said.
India is currently 195-3 after Rohit Sharma decided to bat first in Rajkot.
