Quick Answer
Jerrssis Wadia is a Mumbai born all-rounder who plays for Adelaide Strikers in the BBL, best known for a stunning 34 off 16 balls against Brisbane Heat in only his second top level T20 match, which included a hat-trick of sixes. He bats left-handed and bowls left-arm orthodox spin. Across his BBL career, which is currently his entire senior playing record, he has scored 196 runs from 12 matches at an average of 21.77 and a strike rate of 148.48, with a highest score of 49, plus 8 wickets at an average of 29.25.
His path to the BBL was genuinely unusual. He first came to Australia at 17, went back to Mumbai when Covid hit, then returned once borders reopened and spent years working his way up through South Australian club cricket before finally qualifying as a local player and earning a Strikers contract as a replacement for Alex Carey. He has not played for India or Australia at any senior international level. This article covers his full story and every number attached to his name so far. You can follow more player profiles and match coverage on CRIC INFO 365.
Jerrssis Wadia: Full Biography at a Glance
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jerrssis Dillzan Wadia (Jerrssis Wadia) |
| Born | 22 November 2001, Mumbai, India |
| Age | 24 |
| Batting Style | Left-handed |
| Bowling Style | Left-arm orthodox spin |
| Playing Role | All-rounder |
| International Caps | None (Test, ODI, T20I, for India or Australia) |
| BBL Debut | 23 December 2025, for Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars |
| Last T20 Match | 17 January 2026, Strikers vs Renegades |
| Domestic Status | South Australia squad from 2026-27, Adelaide Strikers from 2025-26 |
Teams Jerrssis Wadia Has Played For
| Team | Format / League | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Baroda Cricket Association (India) | Youth cricket | Before moving to Australia |
| South Australia Under 19s | Youth domestic | From age 17 |
| Adelaide Strikers Academy | Development squad | Before and after Covid |
| Adelaide, East Torrens, Tea Tree Gully | South Australian Premier Cricket | 2022-23 to present |
| Adelaide Strikers | Big Bash League (BBL) | 2025-26 to present |
| South Australia | First-Class / List A | 2026-27 to present |
Jerrssis Wadia’s father, Dilzan Wadia, is a Bollywood actor based in Mumbai. His grandfather, Neville Wadia, once became the oldest player to score a century in minor cricket, a feat recognised in the Guinness Book of World Records. In a detail that surprises most people who hear it, Indian international star Hardik Pandya used to take batting tuition from Wadia’s mother and stayed at the family home in Mumbai. Wadia himself speaks Hindi, Gujarati, and English.
Who Is Jerrssis Wadia and How Did His Career Start?
Jerrssis Wadia was born in Mumbai and played his early junior cricket under the Baroda Cricket Association, spending much of his childhood with his grandparents around 400 kilometres away in Gujarat. According to Wikipedia’s page on Jerrssis Wadia, he first came to Australia at 17 years old, joining the South Australia Under 19s and the Adelaide Strikers Academy.
That first attempt at building an Australian cricket career was cut short. Covid struck, international borders closed, and Wadia had to return to his parents’ home in Mumbai. It was years before he could come back. Once travel opened up again, he returned to Adelaide and spent the 2022-23 season onward playing South Australian Premier Cricket for three different clubs: Adelaide, East Torrens, and Tea Tree Gully.
This period mattered for a very practical reason. Under Big Bash League rules, a player needs three years of Australian residency to qualify as a domestic player rather than an overseas signing. According to cricket.com.au’s feature on his rise, Wadia only became eligible as a local player once that three year clock had run out, which finally opened the door to a Strikers contract.
That door opened in mid-December 2025, when Adelaide Strikers signed him as a local replacement player for Alex Carey, who was away on Ashes duty with Australia. Wadia made his BBL debut against Melbourne Stars on 23 December 2025.
What Was Jerrssis Wadia’s Breakout Moment?
Only his second top level T20 match turned Wadia from an unknown name into a genuine talking point around the BBL. Adelaide Strikers were chasing 180 against Brisbane Heat at the Gabba and found themselves in trouble at 120 for 5 after 14 overs. Wadia walked out and smashed 34 runs off just 16 balls, including a hat-trick of sixes off his first three deliveries against experienced bowler Jack Wildermuth, according to Sportskeeda’s report on his rise. The Strikers still lost the match by seven runs, but Wadia’s innings was the moment everyone started asking who he was.
Speaking afterward on The Surge podcast, Wadia described himself as a timid and emotional person when he first arrived in Australia, and credited the mentality of Australian players, especially Travis Head, for helping him become a fearless player instead. That connection to Head is not a distant one. Head is a product of Tea Tree Gully, the same Premier Cricket club Wadia played for, and Wadia has said he used to bowl to Head in the nets before ever watching him play for Australia on television.
His form before the BBL had already hinted at what was coming. Playing for the Adelaide academy in the Top End T20 series in August, Wadia picked up 10 wickets in 8 games at an average of 7.10, helping his side finish as runners up. In South Australian Premier Cricket, he scored 680 runs at an average of 56.67 to go with 19 wickets, numbers that show a genuine all round talent rather than a one innings wonder.
What Do Jerrssis Wadia’s Full Career Numbers Look Like?
This is the simplest stats section you will find for any current BBL player, and that is genuinely part of his story. Wadia has not played a single First-Class or List A match. Every number attached to his name so far comes from T20 cricket, specifically his one BBL season with Adelaide Strikers, based on figures current as of January 2026.
Batting Record
| Format | Matches | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-Class (FC) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| List A | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| T20 / T20 Leagues | 12 | 11 | 2 | 196 | 49 | 21.77 | 148.48 |
Bowling Record
| Format | Matches | Innings | Wickets | Average | Economy | Best Bowling | 4 Wicket Hauls | 5 Wicket Hauls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-Class (FC) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| List A | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| T20 / T20 Leagues | 12 | 10 | 8 | 29.25 | 7.90 | 2/9 | 0 | 0 |
Jerrssis Wadia BBL Only Record
Because Wadia has only ever played T20 cricket for Adelaide Strikers in the BBL, the T20 figures above already are his complete BBL record, rather than a mix of different competitions. Presented specifically as his BBL numbers, they read as follows.
| Competition | Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Batting Average | Strike Rate | Wickets | Bowling Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBL Career (Adelaide Strikers) | 12 | 196 | 49 | 21.77 | 148.48 | 8 | 29.25 |
A strike rate of 148.48 for a player used mainly as a lower order hitter is a genuinely strong number, and it lines up exactly with the reputation he built through that hat-trick of sixes at the Gabba. His bowling, 8 wickets at an average of 29.25 and an economy just under 8, shows a spinner who can also chip in with the ball rather than a specialist front line bowling option, which fits his description as an all-rounder rather than a pure batter or a pure bowler.
What Does Jerrssis Wadia’s Story Say About the Path Into the BBL?
Most players who make a splash in their second BBL match are seen as instant success stories. Wadia’s story is more interesting than that, because the instant success actually followed years of setbacks most fans never saw. He first arrived in Australia at 17 with a genuine shot at the Strikers pathway, lost that momentum entirely to Covid, and had to rebuild his case for selection almost from scratch through years of South Australian club cricket before he even qualified to be picked as a local player.
His family background adds another layer that is rare in Australian domestic cricket. A Bollywood actor father, a grandfather in the Guinness Book of World Records, and a direct connection to Hardik Pandya through his mother’s coaching, all sit behind a player who was, by his own description, a timid teenager when he first landed in Adelaide. The version of Wadia who hit three sixes in three balls against a Gabba crowd is the product of that entire journey, not just raw natural talent.
His numbers so far are still small in sample size, just one BBL season with no first-class or List A cricket behind them yet. But a strike rate close to 150, wicket taking ability with the ball, and a batting order role where he is trusted to finish an innings under pressure, all point to a player Adelaide Strikers will likely keep building around, rather than a one match story that fades away.
FAQs
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Where was Jerrssis Wadia born?
Mumbai, India, on 22 November 2001.
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Has Jerrssis Wadia played international cricket for India or Australia?
No. He has not played a Test, ODI or T20I for either country.
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How is Jerrssis Wadia connected to Hardik Pandya?
Pandya used to take batting tuition from Wadia’s mother and stayed at the Wadia family home in Mumbai.
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What is Jerrssis Wadia’s BBL batting average?
21.77, from 12 matches, with a strike rate of 148.48 and a highest score of 49.
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What is Jerrssis Wadia’s most famous innings?
34 off 16 balls against Brisbane Heat at the Gabba in December 2025, including a hat-trick of sixes off his first three deliveries faced.
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Why did it take Wadia so long to make his BBL debut?
He needed three years of Australian residency to qualify as a domestic player, and his first attempt at building a career in Australia was interrupted by Covid, forcing him to return to Mumbai and start again once borders reopened.
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Has Jerrssis Wadia played First-Class or List A cricket?
Not yet. His entire senior playing record so far is T20 cricket for Adelaide Strikers, though he has been added to the South Australia squad from the 2026-27 season.
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