Ravindra Jadeja’s evolution from a spinner who can chip in with the bat to a reliable late middle order batsman has been one of Team India’s biggest successes in recent times.

In his last 25 Test innings, since India’s away Test series versus the West Indies in August 2019 till date, Jadeja has aggregated 885 runs at an average of 46.58. For someone who’s slotted to bat primarily in the lower middle-order, mostly at No.7, such numbers reflect the progress he has made as a batsman.

Among the established batters of the current Indian middle-order, Jadeja’s figures over the last two-and-half years are one of the best. Also, he has proved himself to be capable of batting with utmost responsibility even with the lower-order, something he showed in his unbeaten 175 versus Sri Lanka in Mohali last Saturday.

Captain Rohit Sharma too said the other day that the team would love to get more such contributions from Jadeja the batsman.

Jadeja himself acknowledges that staying calm in pressure situations is one aspect that has led to his improved batsmanship.

“As a batter, I give myself time in shot selection and I select my shot after analysing the behaviour of the strip. Besides, the mindset needs to change in international cricket and I try to stay calm in pressure situations so that I can maximise my ability and play my natural game,” Jadeja had said after his 175 not out.

Going back to the initial stages of his Test career, experts didn’t really rate him too high even after he had become the first Indian to score three triple centuries in first-class cricket, a feat he achieved in the 2012-13 season. Even compliments from a legend such as Shane Warne, after he was roped in by Rajasthan Royals for the inaugural IPL in 2008, couldn’t really change the general outlook towards Jadeja.

However, the “rockstar”, as Warne would refer to him, kept toiling and courtesy his left-arm spin that used to be accurate most of the time, Jadeja couldn’t quite be ignored altogether.

So what really helped Jadeja evolve as a player and better his batting? “Determination. Nothing else,” said Debu Mitra, the former Saurashtra coach who has worked with Jadeja since his early days.

Mitra recalled: “During his early days, he would get dismissed in spite of being well set. He used to play too many aerial shots.

“Before he got a call-up for the India Test squad versus England in 2012, he came to me during a Saurashtra camp in Rajkot.

“I asked him, ‘Kya hua Shivaji? Kuchh bolega (What happened Shivaji? Need to say something)? In the dressing room those days, he used to be called Shivaji because of his style of celebration after scoring a 50 or 100. Then he told me, ‘Sir, ek baat poochhoo? Humko safed kapda mein India khelna hai. Toh kya karnaa padega? (I want to play for India in whites. So what should I do?)’ He seemed ready to work accordingly.

“I explained to him that the kind of cricket he was playing wouldn’t work for a multi-day game and was suited for only limited-overs cricket. I told him, ‘You have to change your game, leave the ball well too. Alongside scoring runs, you need to consume time at the crease as well’.

“Within a month, the way he changed his batting was impressive and he hit those 300s too. And the rest is history.”

If there’s one aspect Jadeja would like to look into it’s his batting overseas. As former India all-rounder and former national selector Roger Binny said: “He’s doing well at present, no doubt. But he needs to be more consistent with the bat in overseas Tests.

“Only then can you be called an established batsman.”