Ravindra Jadeja doesn’t even care what politics are going on in the team. He just focused on himself: Shah
The India National Cricket Team is currently in Rajkot, where Ravindra Jadeja grew up and learned his cricket, for the second ODI of the ongoing home series against New Zealand. Ahead of the second ODI starting on January 14, Ravindra Jadeja’s friends and former teammates back home in Rajkot are not surprised by the talk around his place in the Indian cricket team.
Those who have played with Jadeja for years shared that this phase is just another challenge for the Indian all-rounder, as when the road gets tough, the Rajkot cricketer finds a way to move ahead, and he is not someone who gives up quietly.
Bhushan Chauhan, who played alongside Jadeja for Saurashtra, recalled his fighting nature. He said that even as a teenager, Jadeja was more mature than players much older than him. While others were still enjoying the game, Jadeja already knew what he wanted. His aim was simple. Be the best.
Chauhan, who is now a junior selector at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), said that this mindset shaped his journey, and even now he does the same. Around 2018, during the England tour, Jadeja quietly changed his batting.
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He became more solid, more patient, and more correct in his shot selection. That change helped him grow as a Test batsman, and over the years, he became one of India’s most trusted players in the longest format of the game.
Bhushan Chauhan was quoted as saying by The Indian Express, “He was more mature than his age. His priority was clear. He always wanted to be number one in all departments, whether it was running, batting, or bowling. He always says, “No one remembers who finished number two.”
There was also a time when Jadeja was dropped from the Indian team, and his former teammate revealed that instead of blaming anyone, he accepted it quietly, saying the star all-rounder never made a noise, never complained, and slowly earned his place back.
Meanwhile, former Saurashtra captain and now SCA administrator Jaydev Shah shared that Ravindra Jadeja never tried to “divert himself to learn new things” and instead stuck to his natural. He focused on doing his basics better, and this simple approach brought him success in the international arena.
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Shah said, “If you have expertise in what you know, then the rest doesn’t matter. That is why he never tried to change much. Like many people must have said, if he can turn more and can get more wickets, but he never tried to spin more; with that 10% of spin, he won us so many games. He became an expert in that 10%.”
There have been talks that Jadeja is chasing captaincy and even left Chennai Super Kings for the Rajasthan Royals’ leadership, but Shah stressed that the Indian star never cared about captaincy, money, politics, or outside talk. His focus is only on cricket.
He further shared, “I don’t think he cares about money or anything. He is always focused only on his game of cricket. And he never gets disturbed by anything. He doesn’t even care what politics are going on in the team. He is just focused on himself. When I was leading the team, if the pitch had the slightest of turns, I knew this man would deliver for me. Not once did he want to lead the side; he was just happy to play.”
