NOT long ago, Ravindra Jadeja was just another junior cricketer unable to translate his talent into performances. Yesterday, he was drafted into the Indian side that will tour Sri Lanka for a five-match ODI series and one T20 match in a week's time.
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NOT long ago, Ravindra Jadeja was just another junior cricketer unable to translate his talent into performances. Yesterday, he was drafted into the Indian side that will tour Sri Lanka for a five-match ODI series and one T20 match in a week's time.
It has been quite a turnaround for the Saurashtra cricketer who first shone on the international stage when he helped India win the Under-19 World Cup last year. Then, his batting came to the fore in the Indian Premier League where he played for winners Rajasthan Royals.
And during this turnaround, many have helped him become a better cricketer like Saurashtra coach Debu Mitra for example. Under his coaching, Jadeja began to flight the ball much more this season and results were seen instantly.
But no one would have probably been as influential as Mumbai's Ranji Trophy winning coach Praveen Amre. "I first saw him when I was chairman of the junior selection committee and I was immediately impressed with this attitude," Amre said.
"He made things happen with the bat and ball for Saurashtra in one game and also effected four run outs. He is a naturally talented cricketer and I am very happy that he has made it to the highest level. He may still not be ready for Test cricket, but he is perfect at this time for ODI cricket," Amre said.
But things could have gone wrong for Jadeja at the junior level itself.
"His performances were not as good as many would have expected. But sometimes, you have to look beyond statistics and numbers and back a player whose talent is there to see. We did that and I am glad that it has paid off," Amre said.
Jadeja started improving and luckily for him, Amre was always there to keep an eye.
Three years ago, Jadeja went to the National Cricket Academy and Amre was the batting coach. Last year, he went to Australia with the India A side for the Emerging Players' tournament and Amre was the coach. "We did a lot of work on his batting. His grip and footwork had to be reworked so that he could play a lot more shots. He worked hard on it and that's helping him score heavily," Amre said.
Jadeja too is quick to appreciate Amre's help. "That played a big role in my success this year as I got a high amount of my runs from the back-foot shots," he told Cricinfo.
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