Anil Kumble, former Indian cricketer and great spinner, has highlighted what makes Ravindra Jadeja so lethal. Jadeja took three of the West Indies’ first four wickets on day two of the second Test.
Kumble emphasised how challenging the hitter with pace is critical when pitches lose their natural tempo. He compared how top pacers and Jadeja bowl on grounds that are no longer friendly to bowlers.
“On a surface like this, where the pace has slowed down, as the game has progressed, hitting that spot just short of a length and hurrying the batter is key. That’s exactly the kind of length Jadeja operates in. It’s one of the main reasons why he has been India’s most successful spinner and bowler so far. It’s similar to how a fast bowler needs to hit the pitch hard on a slightly damp surface to get seam movement. Likewise, for a spinner, you can’t just toss it up, you need to bowl it into the surface, which is what Jadeja does so well,” stated Kumble while speaking to JioHotstar.
Kumble also commented on how Ravindra Jadeja’s natural variations came into effect when he dismissed Tagenarine Chanderpaul (34 off 67) and skipper Roston Chase (0 off 7).
“That’s when the variations and vagaries of the pitch come into play. If it hits the rough, there’s sharp turn due to the pace he bowls at, but if it lands on a decent patch, it can skid through. That makes him so dangerous on such tracks. When he bowls slightly shorter, forcing batters into mistakes, like Roston Chase trying to clear the mid-wicket gap or Chanderpaul getting out to a ball that straightened after Jadeja had been spinning it into him. It was clever bowling from Ravindra Jadeja,” he added.
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