Ravindra Jadeja | Indian World Cup Squad | 2015

The twirly moustache and a sudden knighthood on social media had catapulted his popularity, but beyond the “Sir” jokes lay the inspiring story of an Indian cricketer to emerge from Jamnagar. The left-handed all-rounder has been a tireless warhorse for MS Dhoni with the ball in ODIs.

He made a mark in India's 2006 and 2008 Under-19 World Cups, and was included in the senior side in 2009 on the back of some solid performances with over 700 runs and 42 wickets in his previous domestic season.
His fluent all-round show vindicated the selectors' stand but the inconsistency that followed led to a lot of criticism apart from the jokes which stayed with him till he stunned everyone against Australia at home with 24 wickets. He became a regular in India's limited overs side with accurate bowling and fielding. In 2012, he achieved a record of being the eighth batsmen to score three triple tons.

Jadeja reached the peak with 50 ODI wickets in 2013 and an equally impressive run with the bat. After playing a key role in India's 2013 Champions Trophy win, Jadeja topped the ODI bowling rankings — thus becoming the first Indian to do so since Anil Kumble — and has become a serious contender for the leading spinner’s slot in the longest version as well.

Jadeja's all-round abilities fetched him a fortune of $2 million in the 2012 IPL auction from Chennai Super Kings. Before that he was a vital cog in the Rajasthan Royals set-up. He missed a season in 2010 before moving to the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Since then he has been the mainstay of India and CSK's lower-middle order.