Jasprit Bumrah aside, Team India relied a fair amount on the left-arm spin of senior pro Ravindra Jadeja, the most experienced bowler in the current Indian team. The all-rounder has made 81 Test appearances so far.
Given Jadeja’s credentials as a bowler, Team India had banked on the left-armer to deliver on the deciding day of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy opener at Headingley. But what were Jadeja’s returns on the fifth and final day of the opening Test? Twenty-four overs, leaking 104 runs for just a wicket.
Skipper Shubman Gill was quite generous during the post-match presentation on Tuesday in saying that Jadeja had bowled “brilliantly”.
Yes, Jadeja did dismiss Gill’s counterpart Ben Stokes at a critical phase of the game on the final day, with England still needing 69 to win. In the first innings too, Jadeja could have dismissed Harry Brook before Lunch on Day III had keeper Rishabh Pant held on to the edge.
A few footmarks and indentations were still there on the Headingley pitch, though it remained good for batting till the last stages of the Test. But the pop-ups from those off Jadeja’s deliveries happened only after England were in control of the run chase.
Before that, Ben Duckett unleashed one reverse sweep after another to good effect, and Jadeja had no answer to that. That, on a Day V wicket.
“I’m very surprised seeing Jadeja’s bowling,” said former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar, who’s here to commentate in the ongoing Bengal Pro T20 League at Eden Gardens.
“Regardless of the pitch, if I were bowling in that passage of play, I would have looked to take three or four wickets. But Jadeja took only one, so he was very ordinary.
“Has it got anything to do with his pace? Or, maybe he hasn’t got (Ravichandran) Ashwin there? Previously, Ashwin was there to help him out, and now he hasn’t got
that guidance either. So yeah, Jadeja’s very good in India, but he’s just very easy to play with in England, and that’s a huge concern for India,” Panesar explained.
In his last four overseas Tests, including the just-concluded Leeds clash, Jadeja has taken only five wickets, which reflects how tough he has found the going to be. For someone to be preferred as the team’s No.1 spinner in overseas conditions, Jadeja’s performance with the ball since the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia has been below satisfactory.
Forget giving the team breakthroughs, he has also struggled to keep opposition batters quiet. An economy rate of 3.54 in his last four away Tests isn’t outstanding at all.
A few experts have already suggested that Kuldeep Yadav should replace Jadeja for the next Test, which begins in Birmingham on July 2. Of course, Kuldeep has been in form lately, bowling with a fair amount of rhythm. However, it’s a tricky call for the Indian team management as effecting a major change or two after just the first Test may go on to be a knee-jerk move.
“First of all, Jadeja is already 36, so age isn’t on his side. For the home Tests too, the team does have Kuldeep and Axar Patel at its disposal. So, these are certainly difficult times for Jadeja,” agreed a BCCI official.
“But saying Jadeja will have no more role to play in this series may not be right, as The Oval Test (the fifth and final Test of the series,
from July 31-August 4) could give the team a scope to play two spinners, given the conditions there.”
In the case of including two spinners in the XI at The Oval, India have the option of
naming Kuldeep and all-rounder Washington Sundar, benching Jadeja.
‘X-factor’
Panesar feels the presence of both Kuldeep and Jadeja in the XI going forward in the series may benefit India. “That way, Jadeja can be the defensive bowler, while Kuldeep can attack.
“That combination may work, as we may see a better version of Jadeja. When he’s a premier spinner, I don’t think he is as effective. So, if Kuldeep plays an attacking role and even if he goes at three-four runs an over, Jadeja can control one end.”
According to Panesar, Kuldeep is the X-factor, but should come in place of Shardul Thakur, not Jadeja.
“Shardul isn’t quick enough to trouble England batsmen. He needs a little more helpful conditions, a bit more grass on the wicket.
“So, if India bring in Kuldeep (in Shardul’s place), he could be the X-factor. We have seen that the English batsmen tend to struggle against wrist spin,” Panesar, who took 167 wickets in 50
Test appearances for England, emphasised.
In fact, Kuldeep’s inclusion and Shardul’s ouster from the XI in the second Test cannot be ruled out altogether. “Kuldeep’s chances of playing in Birmingham are quite high at this moment. And he may come in for Shardul.
“It won’t be fair to chuck a player like Jadeja out
after just the first Test of a long series,” another Board official said.