Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali believed India’s Ravindra Jadeja should have heeded Javed Miandad’s advise when batting on the final day of the third Test in the present five-match series against England. Basit reflected on the former Pakistan legend’s guidance for hitters while playing with the tail-enders on Day 5 against the Ben Stokes-led side.
The former cricketer believed that the seasoned hitter, Jadeja, could have batted a little more aggressively in the middle, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj at the other end, as the tourists chased 193 on the final day of the crucial encounter.
“Were the fielders out of the circle?” If so, there wasn’t much he could have done. However, Javed Miandad reportedly advised that when batting with the tail when the field enters, go for boundaries in the last two balls of the over. Bumrah and Siraj were doing an excellent job, and he was farming strike and trusted them enough to put them through 2-3 balls per over. So, if he was convinced they’d stick around, he should have set limitations. He should have listened to Miandad,” he said in a video on his YouTube page.
Had he showed a little more guts, he may have led India to victory: Basit Ali
The Karachi native also suggested that the Saurashtra all-rounder should have batted similarly to Ben Stokes’ Ashes 2019 performance against Australia, given his skills and big-hitting approach. The cricketer-turned-YouTuber also questioned Jadeja’s experience, suggesting that a guy with limited playing time can perform like he did at Lord’s.
“Was this Jadeja’s first Test match?” Jadeja might have taken some more chances.
When Shoaib Bashir or Joe Root were bowling, he simply left it. They were flying the ball, but Jadeja made no charge. He should have hit a few sixes down the ground. Slog sweeps have also gone missing. Had he exhibited a little more guts, he could have led India to victory. “When Ben Stokes won that game against Australia in the Ashes, I felt he was about to do the same,” he added in the video.
India are currently trailing 2-1 with a couple of matches to go. The Shubman Gill-led unit would be aiming at getting back on track and level the series after a hard-fought clash at Lord’s. The fourth game is scheduled to be played at Old Trafford, Manchester, starting July 23. From there, the teams will come back to London to play the fifth and final Test at The Oval.
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