Aakash Chopra says Ravindra Jadeja should get enough credit for being the No. 1 Test all-rounder

Veteran commentator Aakash Chopra feels Ravindra Jadeja isn’t given enough credit for being the standout all-rounder in Test cricket currently. Jadeja registered figures of 3/88 as Team India restricted England to 246 in their first innings of the ongoing first Test in Hyderabad. He was unbeaten on 81 at the Stumps on Day 2 (Friday, January 26) with India’s first-innings score reaching 421/7.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “We need to praise Ravindra Jadeja. I think we do a disservice at times. We don’t give him that much importance. He is the No. 1 all-rounder in the world if we talk about the ICC rankings and he is 90 points ahead of the second-ranked guy. If he scores a century here, he took three wickets in the first innings and will pick up wickets in the second innings as well, his ranking points will increase further. So there is a huge gulf between No. 1 and No. 2.”

However, Aakash Chopra also stated that Jadeja is above other more renowned all-rounders like Ben Stokes as well. He believed Ravindra Jadeja is the top-ranked Test all-rounder in the ICC rankings where he has 434 rating points.

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“However, world cricket says that he is good but No. 1 will be Ben Stokes only. I don’t remember the last time when Ben Stokes bowled in Test cricket but he is still considered the best all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja is the No. 1 all-rounder in Test cricket at the moment and with a massive distance,” he added.

Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra also said that Ravindra Jadeja’s belief in his game has transformed him as a batter as well. He and Axar Patel (35* off 62) have added together an unbroken 63-run eighth-wicket partnership as well.

“He batted extremely well. The change in his batting has come only because of belief. He has got a lot of belief in his game now, that he can defend, leave balls overseas, and play the short ball well. That belief was missing earlier and he has got it in the last 24 months,” he concluded.