Why Ravindra Jadeja is called Sir: the origin of the famous nickname
Ever wondered why Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja is called Sir Ravindra Jadeja? Who was the first to tweet about Jadeja as Sir? This article gives details about the origin of the nick name Sir Ravindra Jadeja. You will know about how the Twitter jokes on Sir Ravindra Jadeja first started and how the tag of Sir got attached to his name.
Introduction
There are quite a few celebrities who gain more prominence in e-life than in real or reel life, thanks to the jokes which have them at the centre. One such celebrity is South India's superstar Rajnikanth. There is absolutely no end to the number of jokes which circulate on the Net on him. Taking an e-seat alongside him in recent years is cricketer Ravindra Jadeja. The jokes began in a very derisive, sarcastic manner, but soon developed into the genuine format of jokes – funny & humorous – and ended with Ravindra Jadeja being repeatedly referred to as 'Sir'.
Let's trace the origins of this prefix to Jadeja's name, with a quick peek into some great times in his career.
Great moments in the career of Ravidra Jadeja
[Ravindra Jadeja photo source: BCCI official website]
A native of Saurashtra, Ravindra Jadeja's full name is Ravindrasinh Anirudhsinh Jadeja. He has asserted himself at various levels of cricket. He has to his name not just one or two, but three first class triple hundreds.
Unfortunately, though, the triple achievement during the Ranji Trophy tournament was ridiculed. It was not considered any great achievement. There are many cricket critics who feel that the tournaments at the domestic level in India are conducted on poorly-laid tracks & there is a lack of good bowlers at that level. So, according to them, what's so great about a triple century? It is a cakewalk!
No matter the ridicule, Ravindra Jadeja went on to shine in the gentleman's game. He was a member of the 2008 under-19 World Cup team, where his two important wickets helped India to win the final. Jadeja made his one-day international debut against Sri Lanka the next year, as also his T20I debut.
In the ODI game against Sri Lanka, Jadeja did not take any wickets, but made a spectacular 60 runs off 77 balls. India lost that one game but went on to win the 5-match series 4-1. In the third of this series, his four wicket haul got him the man of the match award.
It was in a one-day game against England in the 2011 Nat West series that Ravindra Jadeja really showed his full mettle. He took his batting position on the crease when 5 batsmen were already back in the dressing room at the end of 19 overs and just 58 runs were on the board. At the other end of the crease was his captain, Dhoni. Jadeja scored 78, first in partnership with Dhoni & later with Ashwin. He also used his left arm bowling tactics to good use and bagged 2 wickets. No wonder, then, that he bagged the player of the match award despite India losing the game (the Duckworth-Lewis rule had come into play due to rain)!
Jadeja's test debut on the national team was in 2012 against England, when he took 3 wickets (England went on to win the 4-match series 2-1).
These are just barely a few great moments in Jadeja's career. There are the numerous T20 and IPL games which Jadeja has featured in, some good, some bad, but mainly leaving a good overall impression. It is difficult to squash all his achievements in this one page!
When was the first time Ravindra Jadeja called Sir?
It all started during the India vs England first test at Chennai. Jadeja took guard at the crease. James Pattinson bowled a short length delivery. Jadeja did something which was completely unexpected – he attempted to heave the ball. Thwack! Off went his off-stump, the bails airborne, even as he stood with bat raised, looking in disbelief at the shattered gate behind him.
Fans, commentators and the media went ballistic, making sarcastic remarks about Jadeja's dismissal. Somebody – nobody quite knows who it was specifically – in a very condescending manner referred to him as Sir Ravindra Jadeja on the Net. The joke exploded all over e-space and the name 'Sir Ravindra Jadeja' stuck.
The ugly
One of the nastiest posts in e-space had Jadeja's dismissal being depicted as the opposite of the teachings of popular spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The guru propounds teachings known as "Art of Living". The photo of Jadeja getting out was put alongside that of the guru, with the heading 'Art of Leaving' (see image below).
[Image courtesey: sirravindrajadeja.in]
The bad
A lot of veiled hints arose after Jadeja's dismissal, about how he had been favoured by the captain M.S. Dhoni. These snide hints were because Dhoni had a share in the ownership of Rhiti Sports, the company which managed some of the players including Jadeja. It was implied that Ravindra Jadeja did not deserve to be a part of the Test team at all.
The good
Ravindra Jadeja was soon to prove that he did deserve a spot on the national Test team. With some spectacular fielding, thoughtful batting and canny left-arm spin (he took 20 wickets in all), he shone on all fronts in the remaining part of the series. From the most hated cricketer to a shining hero, Ravindra Jadeja was now joked about in a lighter vein & no longer with derision.
The jokes became much tweeted, especially those by Dhoni, Suresh Raina and R. Ashwin. One of these jokes even had Dhoni referring to him as "Sri Sri Pandit Sir Lord Ravindra Jadeja".
Conclusion
After Jadeja's grand performance in the series against Australia, nobody was in any doubt about whether or not Ravindra Jadeja should be a part of the national team. Recently he has been placed at #1 on ICC One-Day International (ODI) rankings & second on the all-rounders' list. Sir's place on the team is clearly cemented.
The jokes will no longer be of the condescending & mocking type. The rocket arm of Sir Jadeja, his ability to provide batting support and his heroics while fielding have all put paid to that. The "Sir" tag now is a respectful one, the way one would address one's boss.
Follow
Like many cricket lover I was too not in the side of Ravindra Jadeja. Just because he did not impressed me at all as a whole. I always thought that he was wasting a place for other talented player. But in recent, he has proved me and others wrong with his performances. He has the potential to become India's all-rounder and can serve the team like Ravi Shashtri used to do in his days.
His tag of "Sir" was made more famous by none other than but captain Dhoni himself. Here are some very interesting jokes which has been posted by Dhoni in the internet.
1. "When you give Sir Ravindra Jadeja one ball to get 2 runs he will win it with one ball to spare !!
2. "Sir jadeja was upset abt only 1 t20 match in a bilateral series so BCCI came up with the idea of IPL. so all the fans of ipl plz thank SRJ."
3. "God realised RAJNI sir is getting old so he created sir ravindra jadeja," it was about the south superstar Rajanikant.
4. "Wen sir jadeja drives his jeep, his jeep remains still and road moves and wen he goes in to bat the pavillion moves to the wkt."
5. "Sir jadeja doesn't run to take the catch but the ball finds him and lands on his hand."
He was started getting call "Sir" by others for negative thing but captain Dhoni created for his positive things.