'He'll be the all-rounder India needs' - MS Dhoni's decade-old prediction for Ravindra Jadeja resurfaces

Ravindra Jadeja would be flying high and mighty since topping the ICC Test ranking charts for Test all-rounders recently. The Indian cricketer, who is arguably in the prime of his career, has put forward stellar performances for the national team one after the other. However, what has recently caught more attention than Jadeja’s rise to the top is an old statement of MS Dhoni that has resurfaced.

The former India captain back in 2010 had said that India would need to be patient with the then 21-year old and backed the cricketer to eventually transform into the all-rounder that one of the most celebrated cricketing nations needs. Notably, at the time of Dhoni’s statement, Jadeja had not yet established himself on the big stage with not many significant performances under his name, thus making the comments even more insightful.

“We need to have patience. One day Jadeja will be the all-rounder that India needs,” Dhoni had told Vikram Chandra in 2010.

The 33-year-old’s rise to the top comes on the back of his consistent showing in Test cricket for several years now. His most recent heroics came in India’s win over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Mohali. Jadeja shattered many a record, having scored 175* in the first innings of the Test against Sri Lanka and then going on to register a five and four-wicket haul with his left-arm orthodox bowling in the second and third innings respectively.

MS Dhoni has been instrumental in Ravindra Jadeja’s cricketing journey to the top

Since the statement was first made by Dhoni, Jadeja has only gone from strength to strength in his journey as a cricketer. Notably, the 2011 World Cup-winning captain has played a huge role in Jadeja’s rise being his skipper for both India and at the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

Besides establishing himself as a crucial member of the Indian team’s set-up, the Saurashtra-born cricketer is also seen as one of the most sought after cricketers when it comes to the mega Indian domestic T20 tournament. Jadeja has played an instrumental role in the success of the franchise under Dhoni over the years which was evident when he was CSK’s first retention before the IPL 2022. The franchise retained the star cricketer for a huge sum of Rs 15 crore.