ICC World Cup 2023: Jaddu, an unsung hero

India’s Ravindra Jadeja celebrates his fifer against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. Pic/Getty Images

Ravindra Jadeja is one of those cricketers impossible to miss on any cricket field. He is the kind of player who makes things happen, but he does so with so little fuss or fanfare that he often gets lost amongst the glamour boys. It's no surprise that he had to take a five-wicket haul to get the outside world to sit up and take notice of his significance to this Indian team, though within the contours of the team set-up, he is rated very highly.

Crucial for knockout stage

With Hardik Pandya no longer available to fulfil his all-round duties, the 34-year-old Jadeja's role will be even more magnified as the World Cup enters its climactic phase. On the evidence of the fare he has dished out to date, Jadeja is more than capable of rising to any challenge.

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Especially with the ball in this tournament, Jadeja has been little short of outstanding. Coming into bowl on the back of India's three-pronged pace attack, he has maintained relentless pressure, fusing accuracy with crucial wickets. His five for 33 against South Africa on Sunday night was always coming because it was only a matter of time before the cricketing gods rewarded him for his perseverance and unflagging commitment.

Jadeja has 14 wickets for the tournament, commendable, but when you place that alongside his other numbers - economy 3.76 (second only to Jasprit Bumrah's 3.65 among bowlers who have more than ten wickets), average 17.35, strike-rate 27.64 - his true value becomes evident. Only Mohammed Shami (16) and Bumrah (15) among Indians have taken more wickets, indicative of Jadeja's intelligence and craft in the middle overs when his wicket-to-wicket line and subtle variations in pace, angle and trajectory make him so dangerous.

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With the bat, he wasn't called into action for the first four games, but when he got his chance, he reiterated his worth with an unbeaten 39 against New Zealand in Dharamsala. India were a batsman light with no artificial depth at No. 8, and needed 83 when Jadeja joined Virat Kohli. Showing no signs of rust, he more than held his own, allowing Kohli to bat at his pace and exuding a calm that New Zealand too recognised as impenetrable. Kohli fell with India five short of their fifth straight win, but Jadeja took the ship to safe shores and backed it up with cameos of 35 and 29 not out in India's last two games, propelling the score well past 300 on both occasions.

Incredible fielder

"He's been exceptional," head coach Rahul Dravid said of his magnificent all-rounder. "He has been fantastic with the ball, giving us control through the middle overs. With the bat, he's just come in and played critical knocks. His fielding is incredible. He's had a fantastic tournament, maybe he has gone under-the-radar a bit." Jadeja won't mind that. After all, it's excellence he covets, not necessarily the spotlight.