Ravindra Jadeja added another major achievement to his decorated Test career on Day 3 of India’s first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. The Indian all-rounder reached 350 Test wickets and became part of an exclusive group of players who have scored more than 4,000 runs and taken at least 350 wickets in the longest format.
Jadeja entered the match with 4,095 Test runs and 348 wickets from 89 matches. He therefore required only two wickets to reach the landmark. His 350th wicket came when Sri Lanka’s Keshara Nuwantha attempted to attack an away-turning delivery.
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Nuwantha looked to slap-drive the ball through the off side, but the shot took a leading edge off the nearby fielder and ballooned into the air. Shubman Gill moved across and completed the catch, sending Nuwantha back for two runs and giving Jadeja his historic 350th Test wicket.
With the milestone, Jadeja joined Kapil Dev in the select group of players to have accumulated more than 4,000 Test runs and 350 wickets. Kapil finished his illustrious Test career with 5,248 runs and 434 wickets.
Only three other players had previously achieved the combination of 4,000-plus runs and 350-plus wickets: England great Ian Botham, who collected 5,200 runs and 383 wickets, and New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori, who finished with 4,531 runs and 362 wickets, along with Kapil.
Jadeja’s 350-wicket milestone also placed him among the leading left-arm spinners in Test history. He became the third-highest wicket-taker among left-arm spinners, behind Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath, who took 433 wickets, and Vettori, who finished with 362.
His bowling strike rate has also remained impressive. Jadeja reached the 350-wicket mark at a strike rate of 58.1. Among left-arm spinners with at least 125 Test wickets, only South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj has a better strike rate.
Jadeja had already made an impact earlier in Sri Lanka’s innings by dismissing captain Dhananjaya de Silva for 21. Bowling from around the wicket, Jadeja drifted the delivery towards the right-hander before getting it to turn away and take the outside edge.
KL Rahul, positioned at first slip, stayed low and completed an excellent catch. The third umpire subsequently confirmed that Rahul’s fingers were underneath the ball, validating the dismissal. The wicket was particularly valuable for India as it reduced Sri Lanka to five wickets down shortly before lunch.
India had earlier posted 460 for nine in their first innings, with Devdutt Padikkal producing the standout performance with a superb 167. Jadeja, however, could not make a major contribution with the bat, scoring 13 runs from 25 deliveries, including one boundary, before being dismissed by Keshara Nuwantha.
Despite his modest batting contribution in the innings, Jadeja’s bowling milestone ensured another memorable chapter in his Test career. By joining the 4,000-run and 350-wicket club, he further strengthened his place among India’s most accomplished all-rounders.
