"Was Ravindra Jadeja playing his 1st match?" All-rounder torn apart in Pakistan after Lord's Test

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali questioned Ravindra Jadeja's batting approach during the run chase in the third Test match between India and England at Lord's. Ali also stated that Jadeja could have taken inspiration from Javed Miandad's strategy of targeting boundaries in the final two balls of an over.

Ravindra Jadeja scored an unbeaten 61 off 181 balls after coming in at 71/5 during India’s chase of 193. The team collapsed to 112/8 following Nitish Kumar Reddy’s dismissal, and there were expectations for Jadeja to accelerate.

Tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj survived a combined 84 balls. However, Jadeja continued with a defensive approach. India were eventually dismissed for 170, losing the match by 22 runs and falling 1-2 behind in the five-match series.

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Bumrah and Siraj Were Doing a Good Job - Basit Ali

Speaking on the YouTube channel The Game Plan, Basit Ali said that Ravindra Jadeja should have tried to hit boundaries when the fielders were brought in. Ali added that Bumrah and Siraj were handling their roles well.

"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,” Basit said.

"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 added.

Ravindra Jadeja Ka Pehla Test Match Tha Kya? - Basit Ali

Basit Ali sarcastically asked whether Ravindra Jadeja was playing his debut Test. He emphasized that Jadeja should have shown more intent, given his vast experience.

"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,” Basit opined.

Jadeja has scored four consecutive half-centuries across the last two matches. The left-handed all-rounder has amassed 327 runs in three Tests at an average of 109. However, he has managed to pick up only three wickets in as many games.

Ravindra Jadeja Could Have Taken a Few More Chances - Kamran Akmal

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal also said that Ravindra Jadeja missed an opportunity to be more aggressive. Akmal added that the all-rounder played too cautiously when facing spinners Joe Root and Shoaib Bashir, adding that an attacking approach might have helped India secure a win.

“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," Akmal said.

Jadeja smashed just four boundaries and one six during his stay at the crease. He was left unbeaten when Mohammed Siraj was bowled in unfortunate fashion, as the ball deflected onto his stumps while defending a delivery from Shoaib Bashir.

The left-handed batter will next feature for India in the fourth Test against England, scheduled to begin on July 23 in Manchester.

Also read: Virat Kohli called back to fight England players in the middle of the series