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Mumbai · Tuesday, 18 August 2026

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‘Favourite present-day cricketer’: England legend hails Jadeja after rare Test double

By Sohail Khan 18 August 2026, 9:41 am

England batting legend Geoffrey Boycott effused praise on India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja after he achieved a unique Test double during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka.

On Monday, Jadeja entered an exclusive club of elite Test all-rounders, becoming only the fourth player ever to achieve the double of at least 4000 runs and 350 wickets in the longest format. With his three-wicket haul, Jadeja joined Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Daniel Vettori as the only all-rounders to achieve the landmark.

Jadeja stands out in the club in that he possesses the highest batting average and the best bowling average among the quartet.

In response to a social media post celebrating Jadeja’s achievement, Boycott wrote on X: “My favourite present day cricketer.”

My favourite present day cricketer https://t.co/Ep5wlaEgV8

— Sir Geoffrey Boycott (@GeoffreyBoycott) August 17, 2026

With over 4100 runs at a 38.03 average, the 37-year-old Saurashtra all-rounder ranks 19th among the highest run-scorers for India in Tests. Jadeja’s 351 wickets are the fifth-highest for India in Tests, with his bowling average of 25.06 only bettered by R Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah.

Boycott had reserved high praise for Jadeja during India’s five-Test tour to England last year. “I like (Ravindra) Jadeja. I have never met him. He is always in the game. Bowls left-arm spin, his fielding is fantastic. I’ve always thought that through your performance, can you lift the others? And he fields so brilliantly, always has energy, and he can bat. Not just Test, he does well in T20 as well,” Boycott had said at the time.

Jadeja produced figures of 3 for 57 on Day 3 as India bundled out Sri Lanka for 282 in their first-innings. Jadeja’s fellow left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who bagged four wickets on Monday, also reserved special praise for the veteran.

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“He can land a ball on one spot. His consistency is world-class. So I want to learn from him that no matter what a batsman does, how long can you bowl on a spot and induce a false shot. There’s a lot to learn,” Suthar told reporters on Monday.

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