Rajkot (Gujarat): Ace India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja added another feather to his cap after dismissing England Test skipper Ben Stokes in the second of their first innings on the third day of the third Test of the five-match series at Niranjana Shah Stadium here on Saturday.
After getting an exceptional start with the ball in the first session, Jadeja picked the wicket of dangerous-looking Stokes (41 off 89 balls) at the crucial time, when the three visitors were looking for a score near what India scored in their first innings. The left-hand batter went for a slog sweep, trying to reach slightly outside off delivery, looking to hit it over long-on, but he couldn't middle it which resulted in his wicket. Jasprit, who was fielding at mid-on, ran backwards and took a brilliant catch, reducing England's score to 299/6.
The left-hand spinner became the fifth Indian and third spinner to complete 200 Test wickets in India after legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble (350), off-spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (347), Harbhajan Singh (265), and fast-bowling all-rounder Kapil Dev (219).
In the ongoing third Test at Rajkot, other than Stokes, the left-arm spinner took the wicket of Tom Hartley in his spell of 10 overs where he conceded 51 runs. Earlier on Thursday, the left-hand batter showcased his prowess with the bat as he became the third Indian player to score 3,000+ runs and to pick more than 250 wickets in the game's longer format.
Jadeja, who hails from Gujarat, achieved the milestone during the third Test against England in Rajkot where he notched up a crucial century (112 runs), coming into bat when India was struggling at 33/3. Former India skipper Kapil Dev leads the elite club with 5,248 runs and 434 wickets in 131 matches while Ashwin has so far slammed 3,271 runs and taken 500 wickets in 98 matches. Jadeja has scored 3,003 runs and taken 282 wickets in 70 matches.
Coming to the Rajkot Test, India finished the third day of the Rajkot Test in a commanding position as they earned a 321-run lead with eight wickets in hand while Yashasvi Jaiswal retired hurt after playing a fabulous blitz of 104 runs. Shubman Gill, who registered a duck in the first innings, came back stronger and played a significant role with a knock of unbeaten 65 runs.
Earlier today, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav upped the ante in the absence of a peerless Ravichandran Ashwin to give India a vital 126-run first innings lead which extended to 170 as hosts reached 44 for 1 at tea on the third day of the third Test against England. The visitors suffered a mini-collapse from an assured 290 for 5 to get all out for 319 in 71.1 overs with Siraj ending with figures of 4 for 84 while Kuldeep's twin strike at the start of the day set the tone.
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