Stuart Broad has revealed that Ravindra Jadeja’s trademark sword celebration used to irritate him during their encounters, even as he admitted that the India all-rounder’s performances made him a ‘nightmare’ for England.
Jadeja has often celebrated reaching batting milestones by brandishing his bat like a sword. It originates from his belief that he comes from a ‘royal’ lineage. Broad, who faced the left-hander several times during his England career, admitted he felt the celebration was excessive when Jadeja reached 50.
“His celebration used to annoy me a bit, like, what’s this guy waving his bat around for a 50? I remember I used to say to him on a few occasions that batters actually average 50 and you are carrying on like this. It’s flair,
but I would have saved it for a hundred,” Broad said on the For the Love of Cricket podcast.
Jadeja has enjoyed considerable success against England, averaging more than 40 with the bat against them and recording three centuries and 11 fifties.
Broad’s co-host, former England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, was full of praise for the 37-year-old, particularly for his ability to deliver under pressure.
“He is a nightmare to face, especially in India. With him, I think about moments, and he’s a proper gutsy player. With his batting especially, when the game was tight, he always seemed to stand up. When his team needed runs, he could do it,” Buttler said.
He also highlighted Jadeja’s versatility, noting that he could be promoted up the order when conditions demanded it.
“He had a bit of a hybrid role as well, where sometimes he would come out at 5 with the ball swinging around. He’s an underrated batter in a funny way,” Buttler added.
Broad further pointed to Jadeja’s exceptional numbers as evidence of his value, saying England’s uncertainty over whether to select him or Ravichandran Ashwin showed how highly the all-rounder was regarded.
“His numbers are phenomenal to the point where they never knew whether to play him or Ravi Ashwin in England. That’s a testament to Jadeja,” Broad said.
The English duo picked the top-10 all-rounders in world cricket and chose Jadeja at tenth.
