Jadeja, a rare breed with non-stop returns

AROUND 1890, Karl Elsener, a Swiss inventor, had found out that his country needed a lot of tools to carry out everyday tasks. He designed a product capable of carrying blades, screwdrivers, corkscrew and a can opener. Over the decades, the company kept innovating. In 2025, the Swiss Army Knife retains its singular pride of place as it’s sui generis.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

In 2012, when the Indian team was undergoing a period of transition in the spin-bowling department, they tried a fair few names. Over the years, one of them constantly kept upskill-ing, adding more weapons to an already imposing arsenal. Almost 14 years since his Test debut, Ravindra Jadeja, the ultimate multi-utility cricketer, keeps on producing the goods.

He has seen a plethora of cricketers exit stage over the last 10 months, the likes of R Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. These three, apart from Jadeja, have mostly been responsible for making the hosts a winning machine at home before the shock 0-3 loss last year against New Zealand.