Ravindra Jadeja Becomes First Indian to Play 50 World Test Championship Matches in Colombo Test
Jadeja Reaches Historic Milestone at Sinhalese Sports Club
Ravindra Jadeja etched his name into the record books on Sunday, becoming the first Indian cricketer to feature in 50 World Test Championship (WTC) matches. The 37-year-old all-rounder from Jamnagar, Gujarat, reached the landmark when India took on Sri Lanka in the second and final Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
Jadeja's WTC career has been nothing short of remarkable. In 50 matches, he has amassed 2,632 runs with a highest score of 175*, including five centuries. With the ball, he has claimed 160 wickets with best figures of 7/42, registering six five-wicket hauls. He has also taken 18 catches in the competition.
India's Most-Capped WTC Players
Jadeja leads a distinguished list of Indian players by WTC appearances. Virat Kohli follows with 46 matches, while Mohammed Siraj has featured in 47. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin have played 42 and 41 matches respectively. Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill both sit on 42 appearances, with Rohit Sharma on 40, Cheteshwar Pujara on 35, and KL Rahul also on 35.
| Player | Matches | Runs | Best | 100s | Wickets | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravindra Jadeja | 50 | 2,632 | 175* | 5 | 160 | 7/42 |
| Virat Kohli | 46 | 2,617 | 254* | 5 | 0 | – |
| Mohammed Siraj | 47 | 167 | 16* | 0 | 141 | 6/15 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 42 | 334 | 34* | 0 | 185 | 6/27 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 41 | 1,142 | 113 | 2 | 195 | 7/71 |
Saransh Jain Makes India Debut
The milestone day also saw India make one change to their playing XI for the Colombo Test. Off-spinning all-rounder Saransh Jain was handed his debut, replacing Kuldeep Yadav, who missed the match due to an infection. Jain received his India debut cap from Jadeja himself during the team huddle before play began — a fitting moment on Jadeja's record-breaking day.
India Win Toss, Opt to Bat
India won the toss for the second successive Test and opted to bat first. They lead the two-match series 1-0 after comprehensively beating Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test in Galle.
India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna
Sri Lanka Playing XI: Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, and Asitha Fernando