Ravindra Jadeja was proud of himself after achieving the double of 300 wickets and 3000 runs in Test cricket on Monday. But Morne Morkel was prouder for the India all-rounder and called him a player who can “make magic happen” on the field.
Jadeja, 35, reached the milestone when he dismissed Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud on Monday for his 300th Test wicket.
“For me, he’s a complete package. You know, he bats, he bowls, he’s a guy in the field that can make magic happen. There’s always a guy that you want in your team, and he’s done that for so many years for India,” Morkel, Team India’s bowling coach, said at the media conference at the end of the day’s play.
“To join the 300 club is special. He’s a guy that works on his game. That is what you want to see.”
Jadeja was happier to be a member of the elite club in Tests since he was dubbed a white-ball cricketer in the early days of his career.
“It’s special when you achieve something for India. I’ve been playing Tests for
10 years and finally I’ve reached this milestone. I’ve done well and I’m proud of myself, and feeling happy and good,” Jadeja said.
“It’s special and will forever remain with me. As a youngster, I started with white-ball cricket and everyone used to tell me that I was a white-ball cricketer. But I worked hard with the red-ball and finally all the hard work has paid off,” he added.
Morkel, a former South Africa pacer, praised the Jadeja-Ravichandran Ashwin spin combination for their effectiveness.
“These are guys that don’t give you any bad balls. You always (have to) find ways to score. If you face that from both ends, you’re going to work hard for your run. And that’s why, as a partnership, they’ve been so successful,” Morkel said.
