Geoffrey Boycott names Ravindra Jadeja his favourite modern cricketer

Former England batting legend Geoffrey Boycott has singled out India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as his favourite present-day cricketer, praising the left-arm spinner after his latest historic achievement in Test cricket. The endorsement came as Jadeja reached a rare milestone during the ongoing Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, becoming only the fourth player in cricket history to complete the double of 4,000 runs and 350 wickets in Test matches. "My favourite present-day cricketer," Boycott wrote on X, choosing Jadeja over high-profile Indian stars such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Elite Company in Test Cricket History Jadeja joined an exclusive group that includes England's Ian Botham (5,200 runs, 383 wickets), India great Kapil Dev (5,248 runs, 434 wickets) and former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori (4,531 runs, 362 wickets) on the list of players with 4,000-plus Test runs and 350-plus Test wickets. The 37-year-old all-rounder achieved the feat on Day 3 of the first Test at Galle International Stadium when he dismissed Sri Lankan bowling all-rounder Keshara Nuwantha in the third session. The dismissal came in unusual fashion, with Nuwantha attempting to whack a delivery towards covers but hitting it onto the thigh of an evading Yashasvi Jaiswal at silly point. The ball ricocheted towards Shubman Gill at covers, who completed the catch. First Indian Left-Arm Bowler to 350 Wickets Jadeja became the first Indian left-arm bowler to reach 350 wickets in the Test format, leaving former fast bowler Zaheer Khan a distant second with 311 wickets. He is the fifth Indian overall to achieve the milestone, following Anil Kumble (619), Ravichandran Ashwin (537), Kapil Dev (434) and Harbhajan Singh (417). Globally, Jadeja is the third left-arm spinner to take 350 Test wickets, joining Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath (433) and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori (362). Leading Active Indian Bowlers World number one Test all-rounder Jadeja now tops the list of active Indian bowlers with most Test wickets, having taken 351 wickets in 90 matches at a bowling average of 25.06. His tally includes 15 five-wicket hauls. Jasprit Bumrah follows with 234 wickets in 52 Tests at an average of 19.79, including 16 five-wicket hauls. Mohammed Shami ranks third among active Indian bowlers with 229 wickets in 64 matches at an average of 27.71.

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Ravindra Jadeja said he was overwhelmed after becoming only the fourth cricketer in Test history to complete the rare double of 4,000 runs and 350 wickets. Speaking in Galle on Monday, the Indian all-rounder credited head coach Gautam Gambhir and reflected on the milestone that took him 91 Test matches to reach. Jadeja joins an elite group that includes the legendary Kapil Dev, making the achievement a proud moment for Indian cricket.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar hailed the feat as a landmark for Indian all-rounders, recognizing Jadeja's sustained excellence across formats. Jadeja now has 351 wickets at an impressive average of 25.06, underlining his consistency with the ball alongside his contributions with the bat lower down the order. His ability to perform in challenging conditions, particularly in Asia, has been central to India's success in recent years.

Jadeja will continue his campaign when India takes on Sri Lanka in the third Test in Colombo starting Friday. The all-rounder remains a vital cog in the Indian setup, and his latest milestone cements his reputation as one of the finest cricketers of the modern era.

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Saransh Jain's journey to the Indian cricket team took a decisive turn after IPL 2024 when he approached his Madhya Pradesh coach Chandrakant Pandit with an unusual request. The 26-year-old off-spinner, who had spent six weeks as a net bowler for Kolkata Knight Riders that season, told Pandit he never wanted to be in that role again. His reasoning was simple and revealing: he was determined to play Test cricket for India and feared that white-ball cricket commitments might derail his red-ball ambitions.

Pandit, who became Madhya Pradesh head coach in 2020, had already recognised Saransh as a rare talent in an era dominated by flat-trajectory spinners shaped by T20 demands. The coach saw in him an ideal off-spinner reminiscent of Harbhajan Singh, someone whose bowling remained untouched by the demands of limited-overs cricket. This classical approach has become increasingly valuable as India searches for a successor to Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan, two bowlers who claimed 954 Test wickets between them over 26 years.

Pandit provided the security and backing Saransh needed, making unconventional suggestions that initially met resistance. One key tweak was bowling from round the wicket, an angle most off-spinners avoid fearing they'll lose LBW dismissals. After initial reluctance, Saransh embraced the change and even found ways to bring the LBW back into play from that angle, as he demonstrated with a five-wicket haul in last year's Duleep Trophy final.

The partnership between coach and player has yielded impressive results. After limited opportunities before 2020, Saransh became a consistent performer from the 2021-22 season onwards, accumulating 188 first-class wickets in 54 matches. His recent form has been particularly strong, with 30 wickets in seven games during the 2025-26 domestic season, complemented by useful lower-order batting contributions that earned him his India call-up.