Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar chastised veteran spinner Ravindra Jadeja for his poor performance in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. India lost by five wickets, with Jadeja taking just one wicket in the second innings.
Manjrekar said that Indian seamers lacked significant movement. He also acknowledged that Ben Duckett performed admirably against great bowler Jasprit Bumrah. With two frontline bowlers underperforming, Manjrekar observed that the English team was able to capitalise and comfortably win the match.
“Funnily enough, the pitch provided no lateral movement to India’s seam bowlers. Even Bumrah unable to get anything out of the pitch. There is nothing in the air as well. Plus, Ben Duckett is fantastic against Bumrah, with one of the finest records against him and Jadeja,” Manjrekar added on Star Sports.
“I don’t think he’s ever reached out to Jadeja, yet he’s also played Jadeja at home. So when you have an English hitter who is excellent against two of your frontline bowlers, you’re in for a win,” he remarked.
Sanjay Manjrekar argued that rookie pacer Prasidh Krishna should not be unfairly condemned despite allowing runs at a rate of more than six.
However, he emphasised that Jadeja, given his expertise, needed to step up, and that the left-arm spinner did not take full use of the pitch conditions, which provided some aid.
“See, it’s unfair to criticise younger guys like Prasidh Krishna. There are obvious places for improvement, but I’m going to be harsh on Jadeja because this is a final-day pitch. He has a rough to play with. Finally, I know there were a few chances, but we can expect more from Jadeja. These aren’t typical English conditions. Manjrekar admitted that this is hardly a situation where the pitch has nothing to give.
“I thought he didn’t use the rough enough on Ben Stokes.” He did, but against Ben Duckett late in the day, in the innings, he came in and began using the rough from seasoned bowlers and batters, and you want more. And I believe Jadeja was disappointed because the seamers had nothing on the pitch for them. “But at least Jadeja has something,” he said.
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