The left-arm spinner of the Indian cricket team, Ravindra Jadeja, recently turned up for the Saurashtra side against Punjab during the 2025/26 season of the Ranji Trophy, where he smashed a fine knock of 46 runs in the second innings, besides bagging two wickets in the first innings of the bowling department, after returning from the ODI series against New Zealand at home. 

The former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has shared a special video on X (formerly known as Twitter), where he was seen batting against the left-arm spinners. There was a massive crowd, gathering the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, who is also the minister of Rural development.

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Jadeja, in his usual run-up, bowls a short ball to Chouhan in that video as the latter smashed a big shot to the ball, with the action going viral on social media. The Indian players clapped and applauded the shot as the former chief minister captioned the video as “On the cricket pitch with Sir Jadeja.”

Former MP Chief minister plays cricket with Ravindra Jadeja

As India prepares for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka and defends their title that they won against South Africa in the final under the leadership of Rohit Sharma at the Kingston Oval in Barbados, Jadeja won’t be part of the campaign, having retired from the shortest format with 54 wickets in 71 innings at an economy rate of 7.13.

Watch the video here: 

क्रिकेट की पिच पर सर जडेजा के साथ@imjadeja pic.twitter.com/hxMk2OiUgG

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) February 2, 2026

Jadeja was recently part of the home Test series against South Africa. After the retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin, he has been the leader of India’s spin attack, with the experience of 348 wickets in 167 innings at an average of 25.11 and a strike rate of 58.1, besides contributing with 4095 runs at an average of 38.27.

There is speculation over Jadeja’s presence in the ODI format as he has struggled to pick wickets in the middle overs. Even with the bat, the southpaw hasn’t celebrated a fifty in the 50-over format at home for more than a decade. It will be interesting to see India’s decision regarding the veteran’s ODI position.

Does the long-standing international career of Ravindra Jadeja approach its final station? Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak faced the question from journalists ahead of the India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI match (IND vs NZ 2nd ODI).

Jadeja, 37, stepped down from the T20I format and missed last year's Australia vs. India ODI series as well, which sparked the speculation about his future with Team India. After making an international debut for Team India in 2009 in the T20I format, the spin-bowling all-rounder became a prominent face for the Men in Blue brigade. During his prime, Jadeja was an all-format player for the team.

Now, as the team management has been investing more in younger talents, the senior players like Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli's international careers have come under uncertainty. While Rohit and Virat are playing in the One Day International format, Jadeja last featured for India in the Tests. After missing multiple ODIs, the question around Jadeja's future is obvious. Ahead of the IND vs NZ 2nd ODI in Rajkot, Kotak refused to make any direct comment over the star cricketer's career.

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Team India batting coach comments on Ravindra Jadeja's future 

Maintaining a professional approach, the batting coach said, "I’m being very honest; I don’t think I’m the right person to answer questions about any player’s future. I don’t think I should be talking about that. However, if you ask about Ravindra Jadeja, he is fit, and he is performing. For any player, as long as they are performing and enjoying the game, they would want to continue playing, do well for India, and contribute to the team.

In Test cricket, Ravindra Jadeja has played 89 matches, scoring 4,095 runs at an average of about 38.27 with six centuries and 28 fifties, and taken 348 wickets at an average of around 25.12, including multiple five-wicket hauls, making him one of the few players in history with more than 4,000 Test runs and over 300 wickets.

BCCI shared an interesting video of Team India's training ahead of the 1st match of the India vs New Zealand ODI series (IND vs NZ 1st ODI). The video shows the experienced India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja engaged in a bowling drill with the bowling coach Morne Morkel. The bowling practice was interesting as well as unique in its own way.

The purpose of the bowling video was to make the bowler more accurate. Morkel put multiple marks on the pitch, on which Jadeja had to put the deliveries according to the instructions made by the bowling coach. Along with the colourful spots, there were two blue balls to mark full length.

The video shared by the board from their official social media platforms captured the glimpses of the training. Jadeja was visibly happy and excited after the spot training sequence. The caption of the video reads, "𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁. Watch an interesting spot training sequence, ft. Ravindra Jadeja and Bowling Coach Morne Morkel."

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Watch the special bowling training of Ravindra Jadeja

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 😎

🎥 Watch an interesting spot training sequence, ft. Ravindra Jadeja and Bowling Coach Morne Morkel 🎯 - By @RajalArora #TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @imjadeja pic.twitter.com/30DDsBFq4q

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2026

"The coach gave me a task that by the trigger when I am going to pitch the ball. He will take the names of the colours – blue, green and red. He will pick a colour from the three, and I have to pitch the ball closer to that colour with accuracy. Like with a normal match pitch, in between he had kept two blue-coloured balls for the full ball. "So, at the same time, He will tell me to pitch the ball at the last moment; I have to do it," Jadeja explains about the bowling practice season.

From today, the highly anticipated India vs New Zealand limited-overs series is all set to start through a three-match ODI series. The first match of the series will start at 1.30 PM at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium in Kotambi.

Indian players are getting ready for their first international match in 2026, as India will face New Zealand in the first ODI of the three-match home series on Sunday (January 11) in Baroda. Only four players of the complete squad have reportedly not joined the team yet, and here we can know the clear reason for their present absence from the national team.

White-ball series against New Zealand are crucial before T20 World Cup

The Men in Blues are ready to begin their journey in 2026 with the home three-match ODI series against New Zealand, which will start on January 11. After the ODI series, India will host a five-match T20I series against New Zealand before hosting the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, along with Sri Lanka, where India will also defend the title. 

While the national selection committee has already announced the 15-member ODI squad for the home series, most of the players have already reached Baroda for the series opener, including the former captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Breaking News: Indian star ruled out of IND vs NZ first 3 T20Is

Four players were busy in Vijay Hazare Trophy; will join on Friday

However, four players of the 15-member squad are yet to join the team. These four names are Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj. All these players are likely to join the squad on Friday (January 9), as they were busy in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. 

On Thursday (January 8), all four players played in the last day of the Elite group stage in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. Rishabh Pant led Delhi in their comfortable nine-wicket win against Haryana, while Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer scored 45 off 34 balls in their one-run defeat against Punjab. Also, Mohammed Siraj picked up two wickets (2/45) in their three-wicket defeat against Jammu and Kashmir, and Ravindra Jadeja (52 not out off 39 balls and 3/62) had a strong all-round performance for Saurashtra in their 145-run win against Gujarat.

It is time for the new year 2026, and many top Indian cricketers are ready for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the new year. Here we are going through some of the top names in the Indian national cricket team, who are expected to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 in January 2026.

See Also: Harsha Bhogle reveals his ODI XI of the Year

Virat Kohli

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is in dream form with the bat, as he has scored 50+ runs in the last six innings, including three centuries. The Delhi star has already played two fixtures in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he scored 131 and 77 runs, respectively. He is likely to play his third game in this competition on December 6 when Delhi will face Railways.

Rishabh Pant

The wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is leading the Delhi team, and he has committed to playing all matches for Delhi in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy season. In this competition, his scores are 5, 70, and 22 runs, respectively. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Indian opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has joined the Mumbai team after recovering from stomach cramps, for which he was hospitalised after the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Rajasthan on December 16. While he is likely to feature in the match against Goa on December 31, 2025, he is likely to continue his journey with Mumbai in the ongoing List A tournament.

Shubman Gill

Indian Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill is set to return to the game after recovering from a foot injury, which forced him to miss the last two T20I matches against South Africa. The Punjab star batter is likely to play the match against Sikkim and Goa on January 3 and 6, respectively. 

Ravindra Jadeja

By participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is sending a clear message to the team management about his goal for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, which will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia from October to November 2027. The Saurashtra all-rounder can play the match against Services and Gujarat on January 6 and 8, respectively. 

KL Rahul

Although there is no confirmation yet, KL Rahul is likely to serve for Karnataka on January 3 and 6 matches against Tripura and Rajasthan, respectively. 

India’s veteran spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s wife and Gujarat’s Education Minister, Rivaba Jadeja, made a statement that has caused speculation among Indian cricket fans and on social media platforms. During her speech, she questioned the rituals and the responsibilities of the Indian players, which quickly brought the issue into the spotlight.

A video has gone viral on social media platforms where Rivaba was heard praising her husband for his integrity and avoiding negative influences. Even though she didn’t take any names, the comments have been quite alarming about the general atmosphere and the culture of the Indian cricket team. She added that Jadeja could have gotten involved in wrong activities.

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“My husband frequently travels to countries like London, Dubai, and Australia for cricket, and, despite being exposed to different environments, he has never fallen into any kind of addiction or wrongdoing. While some other players in the team get involved in intoxication and bad habits, my husband could have done the same, but he chose not to because he understands his responsibilities very well.” Rivaba expressed.

Ravindra Jadeja’s wife accuses Indian players of addiction

Jadeja is one of the finest players for India to ever represent the team across the formats. He has already retired from the shortest format last year after the T20 World Cup 2024 and is not part of the ODI and Test side of the national team. The 37-year-old, who made his international debut 16 years ago, has featured in 89 Tests, 207 ODIs, and 74 T20Is in his successful career.

Watch the video here: 

"मेरे पति (रवींद्र जडेजा , क्रिकेटर)को लंदन , दुबई, ऑस्ट्रेलिया जैसे अनेकों देशों में खेलने के लिए जाना होता है फिर भी आज दिन तक उन्होंने कभी व्यसन नहीं किया क्योंकि वो अपनी जवाबदारी को समझते हैं @Rivaba4BJP जी , शिक्षा मंत्री गुजरात सरकार #Rivabajadeja #ravindrajadeja pic.twitter.com/OyuiPFPvVa

— राणसिंह राजपुरोहित (@ransinghBJP) December 10, 2025

Jadeja is expected to be back in the Indian colours for their upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand at home. Afterwards, he will be representing the Rajasthan Royals in the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League. It will be a return for the all-rounder to his first franchise after nearly 16 years.

Through a deal, Jadeja made an emotional move from his old-time IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings, to the Royals as the latter’s captain, Sanju Samson, joined the five-time champions as a part of the deal.

India, having won the toss after more than two years in ODI cricket, decided to bowl first during the third ODI of the three-match series against South Africa at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. They drew the first blood in the opening over after Ryan Rickelton got the outside edge into the hands of the wicket-keeper. 

But since then, Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock recovered the innings pretty well with the second wicket stand of 113 runs. The latter kept nailing the spinners and the pacers around the park to get full advantage and shoulder them ahead in the contest. It was also the second-highest second-wicket ODI stand against India in India.

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But Ravindra Jadeja was able to break the stand on the last delivery of the 21st delivery. The left-arm spinner slowed it up and dangled it outside the off-stump. Bavuma, who was struggling for 48 runs in 67 balls, had his eyes lit up as he went for a huge drive to slice the ball into the hands of Virat Kohli at backward point.

Virat Kohli’s celebrates after Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Temba Bavuma

Just after grabbing the catch, Kohli stared at Bavum before taking the entire team in a huddle to get their momentum back into the game. The Test captain of the Rainbow Nation returned to the hut for 48 runs with the help of five boundaries as the Proteas reached 114/2 in 21 overs.

Watch the video here;

And that's the breakthrough India were looking for... 🙌🏻#RavindraJadeja strikes to get #TembaBavuma caught by #ViratKohli! 👏🏻#INDvSA 3rd ODI, LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/Es5XpUmR5v pic.twitter.com/n5fWutNUNK

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 6, 2025

However, de Kock was in a fierce mood from the other end. The left-handed batter fast-tracked himself to 84 runs in just 69 deliveries at a strike rate of 121.74, shouldering on seven boundaries and five over boundaries. Meanwhile, India used various tactics.

The hosts brought Tilak Verma into the playing eleven at the expense of Washington Sundar, who had a light workload in the first two games. The Proteas brought Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman into their playing eleven to replace the two injured players.

The veteran left-arm spinner of the Indian cricket team, Ravindra Jadeja, has scripted new history during the second Test against the Proteas at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Jadeja became the second left-arm spinner in the red-ball format to take 50 or more wickets in 115 years. The last man to achieve the feat was England’s Colin Blythe.

The England spinner featured in 10 Test matches against the Proteas, where he claimed 59 wickets at an average of around 17, thanks to six five-wicket hauls. Jadeja is followed by some of the greats of the game, including the former Sri Lanka captain, Rangana Herath, who claimed 43 wickets in 11 Tests, while New Zealand's Daniel Vettori got 21 wickets in 14 games against the Proteas.

See Also: Watch: Aiden Markram's one-handed spectacular catch sends back Nitish Reddy during IND vs SA 2nd Test in Guwahati

Jadeja was excellent on the fourth day of the second Test. His first wicket of the morning session was when the ball spun as the left-handed Protea batter, Ryan Rickelton, miscued the shot into the hands of the extra cover fielder. Meanwhile, Aiden Markram’s forward defense was breached with a sharp spin from the left-arm spinner.

Ravindra Jadeja becomes second left-arm spinner to pick 50 Test wickets against South Africa

Jadeja also trapped the left-handed South Africa batter, Tony de Zorzi, with a ball that spun sharply and trapped the southpaw before the stumps. The review couldn’t save the batter, while on the other hand, Jadeja sent back Tristan Stubbs before the tourists declared the innings.

The Saurashtra spinner, who finished with fine figures of 4/62 in 28.3 overs, including three maidens, is now the joint leading wicket-taker in the longest format for India with Ravichandran Ashwin at home, thanks to 46 wickets. He is the fifth spinner of the Indian side to cross the 50-wicket mark against the Rainbow Nation.

Stubbs ended with 94 runs in 180 balls at a strike rate of 52 with the help of nine boundaries and one six to declare at 260/5 and set a massive target of 549 runs for the Indian side to chase in less than a day’s play.

The first session of the second day of the second Test between India and South Africa at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati belongs to the visitors, whose two overnight batters- Kyle Verreynne and Senuran Muthusamy, who negotiated the opening session of the second day’s play. There was an early survival for Muthusamy, who thanked the review. 

The left-handed batter went for a sweep shot against the left-arm spinner, Ravindra Jadeja, who had nearly adjusted him before the stumps with the third umpire raising his finger. But the review confirmed that the batter got a little bit of glove on the ball, which ruled the dismissal and kept the batter alive in the middle.

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However, Jadeja finally broke the stand with the wicket of Kyle Verryenne, who looked to come down the track and defend Jadeja, who was smart enough to put the ball wide of the stumps and got stumped by the wicket-keeper and captain, Rishabh Pant. The umpire confirmed the dismissal after checking if he had collected the ball after it crossed the stumps.

Watch: Ravindra Jadeja draws first blood on second day of IND vs SA 2nd Test in Guwahati

With the wicket of Verreynne, Jadeja becomes the joint-leading wicket-taker for India at home against South Africa. He joined Harbhajan Singh, the former off-spinner of the team, to pick 42 wickets. Ravindra has collected those wickets in just 16 innings at an average of 18.28 and a strike rate of 48.60. Ravichandran Ashwin tops the chart with 46 wickets in 13 innings at 15.73.

Experience pays off! 👏

Clever move from #RavindraJadeja, fires the ball wide as he saw Verreynne stepping out. 💪#INDvSA 2nd Test, Day 2 LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/J8u4bmcZud pic.twitter.com/zlAfYkyv5b

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 23, 2025

Verreynne and Muthusamy enjoyed a partnership of 88 runs for the seventh wicket, which is now the highest seven-wicket stand for the Proteas against India in India, as they overtook de Brynn and Shaun Pollock’s 60-run stand in Kanpur nearly 21 years ago. The Proteas were in a strong place with 358/7.

India would hope to bring the curtains down rapidly and restrict the visitors to anything under the 400-run mark. But they had to break the defense of Muthusamy, who was on 75 in 169 balls and looked to meditate in the middle.

Ravindra Jadeja offered India a much-needed breakthrough in the form of South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma. Bavuma was going for another Test half-century when Jadeja clinched his wicket. With perfect technique and execution, Yashasvi Jaiswal took a brilliant catch. 

The opening pair of Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton gave South Africa a solid start in the second Test match at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. Markram and Rickelton scored 38 and 35 runs, respectively. When South Africa was at 82 runs, they lost both of their openers. 

After losing the openers, Tristan Stubbs and Temba Bavuma started to drive the innings with precision. From 82/2, South Africa easily edged past the 150-run mark with Stubbs and Bavuma in the middle. Bavuma was the hero in the 1st match of the 2-match Test series as he completed a half-century on the rank turner at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In Guwahati, he was looking confident to play another big innings. 

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Ravindra Jadeja took the important wicket of SA captain Temba Bavuma:

The South Africa captain headed back to the dugout after scoring 41 runs off 92 balls with five boundaries. Jadeja got the wicket against the run of play when the batters were controlling the motion of the innings.

Kuldeep Yadav 🤝 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja breaks the partnership of Bavuma & Stubbs.

Good catch by Jaiswal & Rahul. pic.twitter.com/KGDrlUmWgf

— VIKAS (@Vikas662005) November 22, 2025

For the second ball of the 57th over, the experienced Indian all-rounder pitched a full-length, tossed-up, outside-off delivery to Bavuma. Bavuma, who mostly maintains his cool while batting, tried to smash the ball hard. He got the connection but not the elevation. Yashasvi Jaiswal, standing at mid-off, dove forward and grabbed the ball cleanly. Temba Bavuma had to go; Ravindra Jadeja got his first of the match.