One good Ranji season will get me back in selectors’ radar, states Jayant Yadav

A conventional off-spinner, capable of scoring valuable runs down the order, Jayant Yadav enjoyed a brief dream run in the Indian Test team towards the end of 2016, claiming 9 wickets in his first three Tests, all against England, while also scoring a century and a fifty with the bat. However, such was Yadav’s fate and the competition in the Indian Test side that after an underwhelming performance against the Aussies on a turning Pune wicket, the off-spinner was dropped from the side, only to be never picked again. 

Now, with Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav performing exceptionally well with the red-ball, a way back into the Test team looks all but impossible for Yadav, but the 30-year-old is confident that he will be right back into the reckoning should he have an exceptional Ranji season.

"To make a comeback in the Indian Test team you have to be relentless and keep knocking on the door. I think one good Ranji season will get me back in the reckoning,” Yadav told ESPNCricinfo.

“Everybody has seen what I can do, the pros and cons. I've been there. It's about having that good season, getting into the India A set-up again, starting from scratch. If you do well in Ranji Trophy and then do well in India A, then only you get into the Test team. It's a very good filter."

The undisputed highlight from Yadav’s Test career thus far is the ton he scored against England at the Wankhede, a knock where he stitched a 241-run stand partnership with skipper Virat Kohli. The 30-year-old described the experience of batting alongside Kohli as ‘fun’ and revealed that the Indian skipper gave him the license to go for the shots. Yadav also revealed that he, in fact, nicked one off the bowling of Moeen Ali whilst batting on 28, but survived due to England having run out of reviews.

"Virat never let the pressure get to me. He was telling me, 'Play however you are doing. Don't think too much about getting runs, or what will this bowler bowl in his next spell. Just play every ball. Build it, build it.' It was like things just fell into place. Actually I was out, I don't know at what score [when he was on 28 off 72 balls, in the 139th over] but I nicked the ball off Moeen Ali. But they didn't have a review remaining.

"Batting with Virat was fun. They kept putting fielders back because Virat was hitting boundaries at will. That helped me as well. He is such a dominant personality on the field and off it, it makes life much easier for his batting partner."

Yadav’s last Test appearance came against Australia in Pune in 2017, a game which India lost by 333 runs.