Ravindra ‘300’ Jadeja

Saurashtra all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja hasn't played for India in nine months, but over the past month he has done enough to ensure that he is on the radar of the national selectors.

Most pitches on which the Ranji Trophy is played are typical Indian wickets — slow and dry — yet a batsman requires a fair amount of skill, determination, concentration and stamina to reach the three-figure mark. Jadeja has done it twice in the past one month and, incredibly, both have been triple hundreds. His 320 not out against Railways in Rajkot on Sunday made him the first Indian batsman to score three First-Class triples, with his first having come against Orissa in Cuttack last year. Last month, he scored an unbeaten 303 against Gujarat in Surat.

The 24-year-old Jadeja sits atop a list that includes Vijay Hazare, VVS Laxman, Wasim Jaffer and Raman Lamba — all of whom have made two triple centuries. He is only the eighth batsman to have scored three or more triples, a club that includes, among others, Don Bradman (6), Wally Hammond (4), Brian Lara (3) and Michael Hussey (3) [see the full list in the box].

And yet, Jadeja isn't by any stretch of the imagination pushing for a place among the pantheon of greats — even Indian greats.

Rather, by Jadeja's own admission, his insatiable hunger for runs this season has its origins in his desire to prove to his detractors that he is not just a flash in the pan, or, in other words, a T20 hit. It was during a long drive from Jamnagar to Rajkot, before the start of this domestic season that Jadeja willed himself to score at least 700 runs. He also adds that he had set his sights on three triple hundreds.

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