Not Rohit Sharma!! Michael Atherton names India's 2 most valuable cricketer after Virat Kohli

Former England cricketer Michael Atherton believes that India will feel a significant impact from Ravindra Jadeja’s absence in the ongoing second Test. Michael Atherton described Ravindra Jadeja as the second-most valuable cricketer for Team India after Virat Kohli.

Ravindra Jadeja missed the second Test of the five-match series against England at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The left-handed batter sustained a hamstring injury while batting on Day 4 of the first Test match.

The all-rounder contributed with both bat and ball during the series opener in Hyderabad. He scored 87 runs off 180 deliveries, helping the home team cross 400 runs in the first innings. The left-arm spinner also took five wickets with the ball across both innings.

England managed to recover from their first-innings deficit and set a target of 231. Jadeja scored just two runs in the second innings before being dismissed by Ben Stokes’ direct hit. The hosts were bundled out for 202 runs, suffering a 28-run loss in the first game.

Ravindra Jadeja Has A Fine Record as a Rounder – Michael Atherton

In his column for The Times, Michael Atherton highlighted the challenge of replacing Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI, noting the uncertainty regarding composition and balance. Atherton emphasized that Jadeja brings balance to the team in batting and bowling.

“India are not only 1-0 down, but are faced with rare uncertainty over the shape and balance of their team. Suddenly, it looks full of potential weaknesses. Jadeja is India’s second-most valuable cricketer after Virat Kohli. He [Jadeja] has a fine record as an all-rounder – the differential in batting and bowling averages places him in the highest rank – and that balances the team beautifully,” Atherton wrote in his column.

All The Problems Lie With India – Michael Atherton

The former England captain emphasized that the inclusion of talented players like Washington Sundar or Kuldeep Yadav won’t compensate for the void left by Ravindra Jadeja. Atherton stated that the addition poses challenges, weakening either the bowling or batting.

“Washington Sundar, the off-spinning all-rounder who was called into the squad this week, weakens the bowling; Saurabh Kumar, the left-arm all-rounder, weakens the batting, as would Kuldeep Yadav’s wrist spin. All the problems lie with India,” Atherton further stated.

Team India named Kuldeep Yadav Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar as covers. The team management opted for left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav to add variety to the bowling attack. Kuldeep is a more experienced bowler than Washington and Sourabh.

Kuldeep has taken 34 wickets in eight Tests at an average of 21.55, with three five-wicket hauls. He was named Player of the Match in his last Test against Bangladesh in 2022, where he secured eight wickets. However, he was dropped from the playing XI for the next game.

India Playing For Second Test vs England: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mukesh Kumar

Also read: Ravindra Jadeja to be ruled out of England Test series; KL Rahul to return