‘I couldn’t sleep’ – Ravindra Jadeja recalls hitting rough patch in 2017-18

Ravindra Jadeja has been on a roll lately and is expected to play a massive part in India’s upcoming assignments. He’ll be next touring to England for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand and a five-match Test series against the home side. Notably, England is the same place where Jadeja’s fortunes changed in 2018, and the all-rounder will again be determined to make a mark.

For the unversed, Jadeja had lost his place in India’s limited-overs team after the West Indies tour in 2017. Moreover, the southpaw had to warm benches in overseas Test matches, with Ravichandran Ashwin being the first-choice spinner. Hence, the all-rounder wasn’t consistent in India’s playing XI for around 18 months. On being asked about how he coped with the time, Jadeja said he couldn’t sleep at night.

Ravindra Jadeja sheds light on his tough time

“Honestly, those one-and-a-half years were filled with sleepless nights. Through that phase, I remember I would be up till 4-5 am. I would be thinking about what to do, how am I going to bounce back? I couldn’t sleep. I would be lying down but jaaga hi rehta tha (was awake only),” Jadeja said in an interaction with the New Indian Express.

“I was in the Test squad but not playing as we played a lot overseas. I wasn’t playing ODIs. I wasn’t playing domestic too as I would be travelling with the Indian team though not playing. I wasn’t getting any opportunity to prove myself. I would keep thinking about how I am going to come back,” he added.

Jadeja’s fortunes changed during the England tour in 2018. After warming the benches in the first four games, he was given a chance in the fifth and final Test match at the Kennington Oval in London. The Saurashtra-born cricketer bagged the opportunity with both hands and put up an all-round show.

He scored a gritty 86 in India’s first innings alongside taking seven wickets in the game. Although India lost that game by 118 runs, Jadeja’s career got a massive boost. After that match, the all-rounder also made a comeback in the limited-overs team and has been delivering consistently since then.

Speaking about how things changed after that Test, Jadeja said, “That Test changed everything for me. Poora (complete) game. My performance, my confidence, everything. When you score in English conditions against the best bowling attack, it greatly impacts your confidence.”