Ravindra Jadeja Birthday Special: Interesting facts about the ace all-rounder

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja celebrates his 31st birthday on Friday (6 December). The left-arm spinner is an enigmatic bowler and was termed by Shane Warne as a ‘rock star’ during the initial edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The all-rounder has become one of the most integral part of the national side and has consolidated his place in both Test and ODI squad. On 22nd January 2017, Jadeja became the first Indian left-arm spinner to scalp 150 ODI wickets after he dismissed Sam Billings in Kolkata. Later that year, the flamboyant all-rounder went on to become the top ranked bowler in the world.

Here are some facts about Ravindra Jadeja:

1) Ravindra Jadeja’s father Anirudhsinh Jadeja wanted him to become an army man.

2) The all-rounder is one of the very few Indian players to have played in two Under-19 World Cups. He played the 2006 and 2008 World Cups.

3) The all-rounder is the quickest left-arm bowler to take 200 Test wickets.

4) Ravindra Jadeja married Rivaba Jadeja on April 17, 2016.

5) Jadeja's wife Raviba Solanki joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in April 2019, his father and sister joined Indian National Congress in the same month.

6) The 31-year-old owns a restaurant in Rajkot called Jaddu’s Food Field.

7) The Gujarat-born owns two horses named Ganga and Kesar.

8) Jadeja was given the nickname ‘Rock-Star’ by Shane Warne but he is popularly known as ‘Sir’ which was bestowed upon him by social media.

Ravindra Jadeja will be next seen during the West Indies series, starting 6th December, and will be anxiously waiting to display his skills and book a spot in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20I World Cup 2020.

Also Read: Happy Birthday Jasprit Bumrah: 5 lesser known facts about India's pace spearhead