Varun Aaron, a former Indian cricketer, has attacked Ravindra Jadeja for his weak bowling on Day 5 of the first Test against England at Headingley in Leeds. Aaron observed that the left-arm spinner struggled to consistently hit the rough, frequently bowling too short or too full and rapid.
The former pacer also mentioned that Jadeja routinely pitched the ball in the middle of the wicket, allowing Ben Duckett to easily perform reverse sweeps during England’s victorious pursuit. Jadeja concluded with 1 for 104 from 24 overs in England’s second innings, helping the hosts to a five-wicket win and a 1-0 series lead.
“More than the reverse sweeps, if we go back and watch the footage of Jadeja bowling over the wicket, I believe he missed the rough a lot. He either bowled too short or bowled too fast and full. “They were all pitching in the middle of the wicket, not in the rough,” Aaron stated on Star Sports’ ‘Follow the Blues’.
Varun Aaron stated that Jadeja, as a veteran bowler, was expected to exploit the final-day pitch more effectively and lead India to victory.
“Somebody who is really experienced, who bowls into the rough really well, especially in Indian conditions where there is a lot of rough, and he and (Ravichandran) Ashwin have stitched together so many match-winning performances, you would back him to bowl into the rough on the fifth day and secure India a very historic victory,” says Aaron.
Aaron noted that Joe Root is in a good position to cope with deliveries outside the off-stump because he constantly plays the ball under his eyes. He stated that in order to dismiss a batter of Root’s calibre, bowlers would have to do something genuinely exceptional.
“Number one, you can’t get him LBW as a fast bowler because he’ll get struck outside the line, and two, he’s in such a good position to play anything outside the off-stump that he’s meeting everything under his eye line. So, as a bowler, you have to come up with something truly unique, which only Bumrah can do, to get him out,” Aaron concluded.
India
