'Yeh uska pehla Test tha kya?': Ravindra Jadeja's approach at Lord's draws criticism from across the border

Ravindra Jadeja targeted over late-game tactics at Lord’s (BCCI Photo)

Ravindra Jadeja found himself fighting a lone battle for the second time on English soil. While the spotlight was firmly on England — on Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and how, exactly six years after their 2019 World Cup triumph, they pulled off yet another dramatic escape — many overlooked the fact that Jadeja had been here before. Six years ago, in the 2019 World Cup semi-final in Manchester, he had similarly carried India’s hopes during a tense chase of 240 against New Zealand, this time alongside MS Dhoni. Regretfully for India, Jadeja was short both times, and it wasn't his fault.

With the lower order, he had batted brilliantly—possibly the greatest since VVS Laxman. Jadeja contributed 35 runs with Jasprit Bumrah and another 23 with Mohammed Siraj at 112/8, just when it appeared like the Indian innings and the match were almost over.

Some former cricketers believe that Jadeja should have been a bit more aggressive, but the fact that India managed to force the match into the last session said volumes about their willingness to battle. Jadeja batted 181 balls for 61 not out, putting India within 22 runs of victory – the tightest defeat ever at Lord's.

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According to former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali, Jadeja should have learned from Javed Miandad on how to help India win the match.

"Were the fielders outside the circle? If yes, then there isn’t much he could have done. However, Javed Miandad once said that when you are batting with the tail and the field comes in, go for boundaries in the last two balls of the over. Bumrah and Siraj were doing a good job, and he was farming strike and trusting them enough to make them face 2-3 balls every over. So if he was confident of them hanging around, he should have gone after boundaries. He should have listened to Miandad,” he said on his show 'The Game Plan' on YouTube.

"Yeh Jadeja ka pehla Test match tha kya? (Was this Jadeja’s first Test match?) If not, then he should have done better. With that amount of experience, he should have gone for boundaries in the last two balls of each over.”

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Former Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has similar opinions. He believes Jadeja could have gone for big shots, particularly during the time when Shoaib Bashir and Joe Root were luring him. Jadeja is undoubtedly batting at his peak right now—he has scored four consecutive half-centuries—but Kamran feels that a little more determination would have made a big difference.

“Jadeja could have taken a few more chances. When Shoaib Bashir or Joe Root was bowling, he just left it. They were flighting the ball, but Jadeja did not charge. He should have struck a few sixes down the ground, at least. Slog sweeps went missing too. Had he shown a little more courage, he could have taken India to a win. When Ben Stokes had won that game against Australia at the Ashes, I felt he was about to do the same,” Kamran said.