Ravindra Jadeja added another striking chapter to his extraordinary Test career on Monday, becoming only the fourth cricketer in history to score at least 4,000 runs and take 350 or more wickets in the longest format of the game.

Jadeja reached the landmark on the third day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, picking up his second wicket of the innings to complete 350 Test scalps. The milestone wicket came when Keshara Nuwantha attempted to slap-drive an away-turner through the off side, only for the ball to take a deflection off his knee and balloon towards Shubman Gill, who completed the catch.

Joining Kapil, Botham and Vettori in an elite club

The achievement places Jadeja in an exclusive quartet alongside three legendary all-rounders — Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Daniel Vettori. Kapil remains the leading run-scorer among the four, having amassed 5,248 runs and taken 434 wickets in 131 Tests for India, while England great Botham finished with 5,200 runs and 383 wickets in 102 Tests. Former New Zealand captain Vettori collected 4,531 runs and 362 wickets in 113 Tests.

Jadeja, with 4,108 runs and 350 wickets in just 90 Tests, is the only member of the elite quartet to have achieved the double before playing 100 Tests, underlining the extraordinary efficiency of his all-round contribution.

Only the fifth Indian to reach the mark

The wicket also made Jadeja only the fifth Indian to reach 350 Test wickets, joining Anil Kumble (619), Ravichandran Ashwin (537), Kapil Dev (434) and Harbhajan Singh (417). He had earlier scored 13 runs in India's first innings, which ended on 462, before making his mark with the ball as Sri Lanka reached 243/7 in reply.

Among the finest left-arm spinners

The milestone further strengthens Jadeja's standing among the most productive left-arm spinners in Test history. He is now third among left-arm spinners for Test wickets, behind Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath (433) and Vettori (362), while England's Derek Underwood (297) and Bangladesh's Taijul Islam (271) follow.

His consistency with both bat and ball has made him one of India's most valuable Test cricketers over the past decade. His ability to contribute runs down the order while providing control and wickets as a spinner has repeatedly allowed India to balance their playing XI. Among left-arm spinners with at least 125 Test wickets, only South Africa's Keshav Maharaj has a better strike rate than Jadeja's 58.1, with Maharaj at 56.4.

Efficiency that stands apart

While Kapil, Botham and Vettori crossed 4,000 runs and 350 wickets only after lengthy Test careers, Jadeja has reached the same landmark in fewer than 100 matches. With the first Test against Sri Lanka still in progress, Jadeja now has the opportunity to add to both his wicket and run tallies and further cement his place among Test cricket's greatest all-rounders.