Ravindra Jadeja goes past Bishan Singh Bedi to become India's most successful left-arm spinner in Test cricket

By India Today Sports DeskIndia all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Friday surpassed compatriot Bishan Singh Bedi to become the country’s most successful left-arm spinner in the history of Test cricket. Jadeja achieved the feat at The Oval during India’s ICC World Test Championship final against Australia.

Jadeja dismissed the first-inning centurions, Steve Smith (34) and Travis Head (18) and Cameron Green (25). Jadeja has taken 268 wickets in 65 Tests for an economy rate of 2.45 and an average of 24.24. Bishan Singh Bedi, on the other hand, has 266 wickets from 67 games.

WTC Final, IND vs AUS Day 4Live Updates

Overall, Jadeja has now become the fourth most successful left-arm spinner in the history of Test cricket. He trails Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath (433 wickets in 93 matches), New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori (362 wickets in 113 matches), and England’s Derek Underwood (297 wickets in 86 matches).

The star Indian all-rounder has been fantastic in the longest format of the game in 2023. Jadeja has scored 183 runs at an average of 30.50 in five Test matches, with one half-century and a best score of 70. He has also taken 25 wickets at a 19.84 average and a 2.63 economy rate. This year, his best bowling figures in an inning are 7/42. Jadeja has scored 262 runs at an average of 32.75 in eight matches and nine innings, with one half-century across formats in 2023.

Meanwhile, former India captain and head coach Ravi Shastri has picked Ravindra Jadeja as the world’s best all-rounder across formats.

“He [Ravindra Jadeja] is now at the peak of his career. Best all-rounder in the world right now. Ben Stokes is not bowling much. If you look at the best around the world, this is the guy at the moment. You can see that he also delivered with the bat,” Shastri said while speaking to Star Sports ahead of Day 4.