Former Indian opener, Aakash Chopra heaped praise on the Indian all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja for his performance in the ongoing first Test against Australia, calling him the best all-rounder on the planet. Jadeja, who returned to international cricket after nearly five months after recovering from a knee injury, took a 5-fer on Day 1 of the Nagpur Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The Indian complimented his bowling with his batting, hitting a half-century on Day 2 of the match.

Chopra stated that Jadeja has shown immense growth in recent times, adding that sometimes it feels like he is batting way too low in the order for the ability he has as an all-rounder.

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During a recent chat on ESPNCricinfo, Aakash Chopra said, “In my book, he is the best all-rounder on the planet right now. His batting has improved leaps and bounds. The reason for that improvement is just self-belief. He always had the shots. I has scored 2-3 centuries in first-class cricket, he knows how to score runs and stitch innings together.”

He further added, “I think he lacks the confidence in leaving the ball. Sometimes he gives the feeling that he is batting way to low in the order for the ability he has. Jadeja – the batter – has been sensational.”

Meanwhile, former Australia skipper, Ian Chappell agreed with Chopra and said that Jadeja is a smart cricketer. Chappell said that Jadeja is very good in all aspects of the game – batting, bowling, and fielding.

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Ian Chappel elaborated, “Jadeja is getting vital runs for India. I think it is something about his cricketing intelligence that he has improved remarkably as a bowler and that is a good sign. But he has also improved remarkably as a batter. He has always been a good fielder. He is very good at all three aspects of the game. His steady improvement in batting and bowling tells you that he is a smart cricketer.”