‘My favourite present day cricketer’ — Geoffrey Boycott heaps praise on Ravindra Jadeja after Test double

Ravindra Jadeja completed one of the rarest doubles in Test cricket history on Day 3 of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on August 17, 2026, becoming only the fourth player ever to score 4,000-plus runs and take 350-plus wickets in the format.

The achievement drew an immediate response from legendary cricketer Geoffrey Boycott. The post attracted wide attention given Boycott’s standing as one of the most respected former batters in the game.

“My favourite present day cricketer,” wrote Boycott on X.

Jadeja’s place among Test cricket’s all-time all-rounders

Jadeja joins Kapil Dev (5,248 runs, 434 wickets), Ian Botham (5,200 runs, 383 wickets) and Daniel Vettori (4,531 runs, 362 wickets) in this exclusive club. He is the second Indian after Kapil Dev to reach the landmark. Among the four members, Jadeja holds the best bowling average at 25.06 and the highest batting average in the group.

The milestone wicket was that of Sri Lanka debutant Keshara Nuwantha, dismissed for 2 in the first innings. It arrived in Jadeja’s 90th Test match. He is the first Indian left-arm bowler to take 350 wickets in Tests and the third left-arm spinner overall to pass the mark, after Rangana Herath (433 wickets) and Vettori (362 wickets).

With over 4,100 runs at an average of 38.03, Jadeja ranks 19th among India’s highest Test run-scorers. His 351 wickets place him fifth among Indian bowlers, behind Anil Kumble (619), Ravichandran Ashwin (537), Kapil Dev (434) and Harbhajan Singh (417). His bowling average of 25.06 is bettered only by Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah among Indian bowlers. He also has 15 five-wicket hauls in the format, with best match figures of 10/110 against Australia in Delhi in 2023.

India vs Sri Lanka first Test at Galle — match context

Jadeja returned to the Test side for this series after missing the one-off Test against Afghanistan, making the milestone all the more notable on his return.

India had posted 462 in their first innings, with Devdutt Padikkal top-scoring on 167. KL Rahul contributed 82 and Dhruv Jurel made 51 off 68 balls. Jadeja’s landmark wicket arrived during Sri Lanka’s first-innings reply on Day 3. The second Test of the series will be the next confirmed development to follow.