Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja redefined the all-rounder's slot for India with his left-arm spin, explosive lower-order hitting, and a rifle arm that became a boundary-rope deterrent. He grew from a white-ball specialist into a Test match-winner who could bat in the top seven and bowl dry, probing overs, shifting India's balance home and away. With more than 300 Test wickets and 3,000-plus Test runs, he joined a club of genuine all-rounders that includes Kapil Dev among Indians.

Jadeja's bowling once drew charges of being flat, but he sharpened his variations and pace to become a lead spinner in home conditions, forging a deadly alliance with Ravichandran Ashwin. His ability to hold the crease under pressure showed in his 77 in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand and in vital Test rearguards, such as his unbeaten 86 at The Oval in 2018. In white-ball cricket his accuracy strangled scoring, while his direct hits changed how teams ran between the wickets.

Beyond the stats, Jadeja personified the new-age Indian fielder: athletic, sharp and intimidating at point or in the deep, saving runs every game. His batting matured from flailing cameos to calculated finishing, on show in his IPL years with Chennai Super Kings, where he sealed the 2023 final off the last ball. Time and again he answered team needs, bowling long spells abroad or bashing quick fifties, keeping himself at the forefront of Indian cricket into his mid-30s.