From a security guard's son to the 'super king'- Ravindra Jadeja's inspiring story
As the country soaks up in IPL colours, the last leg of the tournament placed the spotlight on Chennai Super Kings (CSK), as they grabbed their third consecutive IPL title.
CSK's left-handed batsman Ravindra Jadeja, who hails from a humble background, became the most-expensive player in 2012, after the Chennai Super Kings offered him $2 million (Rs 9.8 crore).
Jadeja's father Anirudh, a watchman at a private security agency, always fuelled the dreams of his son, but also dreamt of him joining the Armed forces. Jadeja's mother, who died when he was in his teens, always wanted him to play for India. She had ensured her son had no cause for complaint on the cricket front.
Jadeja played for India's U-19 cricket team in 2008, where India won the World Cup in Malaysia, says a post by Kenfolios. Since then, there has been no looking back for 'Sir Jadeja', as he is fondly called on social media.
A favourite in the CSK team, he is the third player to be retained by CSK and has been Captain Dhoni's go-to batsman in times of crisis, says the official website of IPL. In 2008, when he was a part of Rajasthan Royals, his performance on the field earned him the tag of "rockstar" by his captain Shane Warne.
In an interview, his sister Naina, who is a nurse said,
"The reality is yet to sink in that my brother plays for India and is a huge star today. We are a middle-class family, hailing from a small but famous cricket town, and everything appears to be a dream still. I’m very happy for my brother like any sister would be."
After a few quite seasons, the 30-year-old cricketer rose to spotlight in both domestic and International cricket circuit, after his stellar performance in the Champions Trophy in 2013, which also won him the Golden Ball for his terrific bowling in the tournament. Today, he is ranked No. 4 in bowling, and ranked 62 as a batsman.
Do you have an interesting story to share? Please write to us at [email protected]. To stay updated with more positive news, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.