Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Wednesday became the second player in India to take 500 wickets and score 5,000 runs in international cricket.
He accomplished this landmark during Australia's third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India in Indore. After dismissing the Aussie opener Travis Head leg-before-wicket for nine runs of six balls, Jadeja got his 500th international cricket wicket. Jadeja has scored 5,527 runs in 298 international matches across 241 innings at an average of 33.29. He has scored three hundreds and 31 half-centuries, with the best individual score of 175*. He also taken a total of 503 wickets in 298 matches at an average of 29.35 at an economy rate of 3.51. His best bowling figures in innings are 7/42. He is the only player besides legendary all-rounder and India's World Cup-winning legend Kapil Dev to have a double of 500 international wickets and 5,000 international runs. Kapil Dev scored a total of 9,031 runs in 356 matches, across 382 innings at an average of 27.53. He scored nine centuries and 41 half-centuries in his career. Kapil also took a total of 687 wickets in 356 international matches, with the best bowling figures of 9/83 in innings. Besides Jadeja and Kapil Dev, the list of all-rounders in international cricket with at least 5,000 international cricket runs and 500 wickets includes Pakistan's Wasim Akram, Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, New Zealand's Daniel Vettori, England's Ian Botham, South Africa's Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis and Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas. Coming to the match, India was bundled out for just 109 runs in the first innings. Virat Kohli (22) and Shubman Gill (21) were the only batters who crossed the 20-run mark as Aussie spinners made merry on a turning track. Matthew Kuhnemann got his career-best figures of 5/16, while veteran Nathan Lyon also took 3/35. Todd Murphy also got the prized wicket of Virat, dismissing him for the third time in the series. Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja continued his stunning show with the ball, but a second-wicket partnership between Usman Khawaja, who scored a fifty and Marnus Labuschagne, denied hosts an opportunity to continue their domination over Australia, taking the visitors to 156/4 at the end of the first day of play in the third Test at Indore on Wednesday. At the end of the day's play, Peter Handscomb (7*) and all-rounder Cameron Green (6*) were unbeaten for the Aussies. They lead India by 47 runs. Usman (60) and Labuschagne (31) played valuable knocks and put on a stand of 96 runs for the second wicket to help Australia gain a lead. Jadeja took 4/63 in his 24 overs. Brief Scores: India: 109 in 33.2 overs (Virat Kohli 22, Shubman Gill 21, Matthew Kuhnemann 5/16) trail Australia: 156/4 in 54 overs (Usman Khawaja 60, Marnus Labuschagne 31, Ravindra Jadeja 4/63). (ANI)
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