logo
Where is the sword-swishing, humming Jadeja?

Where is the sword-swishing, humming Jadeja?

The Hindu9 hours ago

Ravindra Jadeja's left-arm spin was put to an arduous test at Leeds. The final evaluation for his match figures of 47-5-172-1: room for improvement.
The Headingley pitch got drier as the first England-India Test progressed, and the stage was set for Jadeja to utilise the rough outside the left-hander's off-stump. The last day's play, however, did not pan out as expected.
Southpaw Ben Duckett (149, 170b) reversed the narrative Indian fans had hoped for by playing the reverse-sweep to perfection against Jadeja, and made sure England chased down the 371-run target without much fuss.
Reverse sweep, under normal circumstances, is not a percentage shot on a wearing day-five pitch. The marauding English batters don't go by conventional wisdom, though.
Just the prospect of Duckett unleashing his beloved weapon got Jadeja to err in line and length. It's another matter that Duckett brought out the audacious shot even when Jadeja found the rough.
Duckett scored 36 runs in 16 balls (both innings) through reverse sweeps against Jadeja, and never once did the ball go in the air uncontrolled. Jadeja will have to come up with some answers to reverse this trend against the English opener.
'I could not believe how poorly he bowled, really. I'd likened it to owning a hammer but punching nails in with your fist instead – not landing the ball in the rough at all until, basically, it was too late. That was extraordinary,' Mark Butcher said on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast.
'You talk about experience, and he has all the experience in the world. Somehow, it didn't seem to click to him or Rishabh Pant, the 'keeper, that it might be a good idea not to keep missing the rough all day to the left-handers,' he added.
Under scrutiny
It is not often that a tweaker's returns come under such scrutiny after a red-ball game in The Old Blighty — a land where swing rules over spin.
There was enough help for Jadeja to work with in Headingley, but he could not deliver the desired results; hence, the finger-pointing at the finger-spinner.
England is in the middle of an uncharacteristically hot summer. The tracks will stay dry (for English standards), and Jadeja will have to step up his game in the forthcoming Tests.
'I am going to be critical of Jadeja. This was a final-day pitch with rough patches for him to exploit. And while there were a couple of chances, we have to expect more from someone of his experience. These weren't typical English conditions where the pitch offers nothing. I felt he didn't use the rough nearly enough — especially against Duckett,' Sanjay Manjrekar told JioHotstar after India's five-wicket loss.
It was not as if Jadeja did not make any meaningful contributions towards India's cause. His 2.95 economy in the first innings was the best among Indian bowlers (a decent effort against the Bazballers). The lack of movement in the wickets column, though, took the sheen away.
In the second essay, after Duckett's onslaught, Jadeja did come into his own against another southpaw, Ben Stokes. The English skipper, too, tried to employ the reverse sweep against the left-arm spinner.
This time, however, Jadeja was in better rhythm. He induced eight false shots out of the 16 balls that Stokes tried to play the reverse sweep in the second innings. Jadeja got his man soon, with Stokes top-edging an attempted reverse sweep straight to India captain Shubman Gill. Jadeja's success, however, came after England had already breached the 300-run mark, and it proved too little too late. He did toil hard, but one would have counted on the No. 1 Test all-rounder to have a greater say in favourable conditions.
'Against Stokes, yes, he did make an effort. But it was only much later in Duckett's innings that Jadeja started using the rough properly. When you're dealing with experienced bowlers and seasoned batters, you expect a higher level of tactical awareness. Somewhere, I felt Jadeja was disappointing. The seamers had no help from the surface, but Jadeja at least had something in the pitch working in his favour,' Manjrekar added.
Decline
Jadeja's stats in Test cricket have taken a hit of late. The premier all-rounder has not crossed the 30-run mark in his last six innings, and his overall numbers, too, are on a decline.
Since the start of the 2024 India-New Zealand series, Jadeja averages 23 with the bat and 35 with the ball (the exact opposite returns in the disciplines would have been near perfect). India's progress report in the seven matches that Jadeja played during the period: six losses and a draw.
Jadeja's journey towards bucking this trend in the bowling front is not going to be easy on English shores, where he has not got it right with his left-arm spin.
Jadeja has the second-worst average (48.07) and strike rate (102.80) as a bowler in England, only behind his numbers in New Zealand, where he averages 60.6 with a strike rate of 124.8.
Edgbaston, the venue of the second Test, holds some fond memories for Jadeja. He had slammed a century — his first outside home — and helped India post a mammoth 416 in the first innings of the rescheduled fifth Test (2021-22 series). A victory, though, proved elusive for the visitor as England chased down 378 in the fourth innings (sounds familiar) to level the series 2-2.
The all-rounder had gone wicketless in that Test and will be keen on starting his redemption arc by catching some edges in Edgbaston, the same ground where a 24-year-old Jadeja's all-round brilliance (33 n.o., two for 24) paved the way for India's 2013 Champions Trophy triumph.
Experience and accountability
A decade on, just like the volume of Jadeja's beard, his responsibilities, too, have gotten thicker.
Though his athleticism in the field may not give it away, the 36-year-old is a veteran of 81 Tests. And experience does breed responsibility and accountability.
'I don't like to give myself any tag. Whatever the team needs, I try to perform accordingly. As an all-rounder, sometimes a situation will come where you need to score runs and either save or win the match for the team. In bowling, you are expected to give a breakthrough. I consider myself a team player. Whatever the team needs, I will try to do it,' Jadeja had said after the 2022 Edgbaston Test.
Sir Jadeja brings out the sword once again ⚔️🔥
It's been a century of the highest order from #TeamIndia's star all-rounder 🤩💯
Tune in to Sony Six (ENG), Sony Ten 3 (HIN) & Sony Ten 4 (TAM/TEL) - (https://t.co/tsfQJW6cGi)#ENGvINDLIVEonSonySportsNetwork#ENGvINDpic.twitter.com/DvIPNN6IEZ — Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 2, 2022
Losing the experience of 296 Test caps after the retirements of R. Ashwin (106 Tests), Rohit Sharma (67), and Virat Kohli (123) means that Jadeja dons the senior tag in the Indian team now and he will be expected to set the benchmark for his younger colleagues.
Team in transition
A team in transition yearns for its seasoned players to lead the way, and India can ill afford a misfiring Jadeja.
The 36-year-old may have lost a few battles recently, and it has been a while since he brought out his iconic sword celebration after crossing a milestone.
The onus is on him to show the world that the warrior within remains unbroken, and the sword is still sharp for future duels.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Dhoni seeks trademark for sobriquet 'Captain Cool'
Dhoni seeks trademark for sobriquet 'Captain Cool'

Hans India

time44 minutes ago

  • Hans India

Dhoni seeks trademark for sobriquet 'Captain Cool'

New Delhi: Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has filed a trademark application for the phrase 'CAPTAIN COOL', a sobriquet widely associated with his calm on-field demeanour. According to the Trade Marks Registry portal, the application's status is 'accepted and advertised'. It was published in the official trademark journal on June 16. The application was filed on June 5. The proposed trademark is registered under the category for sports training, providing sports training facilities, sports coaching and services. No comments could immediately be obtained from Dhoni. Interestingly, another company, Prabha Skill Sports (OPC) Pvt Ltd, had earlier filed a similar application for the phrase. However, that application's status is showing as 'rectification filed'. Earlier this month, Dhoni was inducted into the ICC's Hall of Fame for the year 2025 along with seven cricketers, including Australian great Matthew Hayden and South Africa's Hashim Amla. The ICC hailed Dhoni as a player who excelled not just in numbers but also in "extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity". "Celebrated for his calm under pressure and unmatched tactical nous, but also a trailblazer in the shorter formats, MS Dhoni's legacy as one of the game's greatest finishers, leaders and wicketkeepers has been honoured with his induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame," the ICC statement had said.

"Just wanted to play well, didn't expect the final": India's Tanvi Sharma reflects on US Open journey
"Just wanted to play well, didn't expect the final": India's Tanvi Sharma reflects on US Open journey

India Gazette

time44 minutes ago

  • India Gazette

"Just wanted to play well, didn't expect the final": India's Tanvi Sharma reflects on US Open journey

By Shaurya Dutt Iowa [US], July 1 (ANI): Indian shuttler Tanvi Sharma said she 'didn't expect to play in the finals' after finishing as the runner-up in the US Open 2025 badminton tournament held in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In the women's singles category, 16-year-old Tanvi surprised everyone with a strong performance throughout the tournament. She defeated players ranked World No. 23, 40, 50, and 58 to reach the final, according to a release from the Badminton Association of India (BAI). Although she lost to top seed Beiwen Zhang of the USA in a hard-fought match (21-11, 16-21, 21-10), Tanvi made history by becoming the youngest Indian to reach a BWF World Tour final. Speaking to ANI about her performance, Tanvi said, 'It was a good tournament for me. I didn't expect to play in the finals. Because my starting round was 32, the first round itself was a tough match. I just expected to give my best. Whatever I was doing, I wanted to play well. I managed to win.' She also talked about her earlier matches, where she beat Vietnam's T.L. Nguyen (21-19, 21-9) in the Round of 32, Thailand's Opatniputh Pitchamon (21-18, 21-16) in the Round of 16, and Malaysia's L. Karupathevan (21-13, 21-16) in the quarterfinals. 'First round with the Vietnam girl. She was very experienced. In the second round, I played with Opatniputh Pitchamon. She was a former world junior champion. She was also very experienced. I managed to win. In the quarterfinals, I played with a Malaysian girl. She was also very good. I played my best and I won,' she said. Tanvi said her toughest matches were the first two rounds. 'I think the toughest match was the first (Round of 32) and second round (Round of 16). I thought both were tough because both were top-class players. I got a good experience by playing here. I just want to gain this experience. I want to play like this in the next tournaments,' she added. Looking ahead, Tanvi said she is preparing for the Asian Junior Championships and the World Junior Championships, both of which will be held in India. She also hopes to take part in higher-level tournaments in the future. 'I am playing the Asian Junior Championships next month. After that, there is the World Junior Championships. Both of these tournaments are in India. I will try to do well in that. I want to play well in the Super 300 and 500,' she concluded. (ANI)

Don't pay too much attention to these one-two rating points: Praggnanandhaa after becoming India's highest-ranked chess player
Don't pay too much attention to these one-two rating points: Praggnanandhaa after becoming India's highest-ranked chess player

India Gazette

timean hour ago

  • India Gazette

Don't pay too much attention to these one-two rating points: Praggnanandhaa after becoming India's highest-ranked chess player

By Shaurya Dutt Zagreb [Croatia], July 1 (ANI): Indian chess grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has become the country's highest-ranked player after winning the UzChess Cup Masters in Croatia. However, the 19-year-old said he is not overly focused on the rating points and prefers to take one tournament at a time. Praggnanandhaa defeated home favourite Nodirbek Abdusattorov with Black pieces on the final day of the tournament. With this win, his live rating rose to 2778.3, pushing him ahead of the reigning world champion D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7). Before this, Erigaisi had been the top-ranked Indian but dropped to sixth place after drawing his game with fellow Indian Aravindh Chithambaram. In the world rankings, Praggnanandhaa now holds the fourth spot. He is just behind Magnus Carlsen (2839.2), Hikaru Nakamura (2807.0), and Fabiano Caruana (2784.2), and ahead of Gukesh, who is ranked fifth. Speaking to ANI about becoming India's top-ranked player, Praggnanandhaa said, 'I became India's number one because of one point. So I don't think it really matters. These one or two points can go either way in one game. I don't think I'll pay attention to that so much. For me, more than that, the tournament that I just won was much more special. I mean, like for me, I take a tournament at a time. I don't pay too much attention to the like these one or two rating points that change.' Praggnanandhaa also received praise from World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura after being picked by Team Liquid for the upcoming Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reacting to their compliments, he said, 'It feels good, but I don't think it will impact me in any way. I'll try to do what I'm doing, but yeah, it's good to see such comments. It inspires me to do better and gives me confidence.' He also acknowledged the support he has received from Adani Sportsline, a partnership that has helped him grow over the past year. 'I've been supported by Adani group from last one year. As chess players, we need to travel a lot and also train a lot, and these things can be pretty expensive because I trained for the Candidates last year. We needed to have a team and then have in-person camps. That's where Adani Group's support was invaluable. They were supporting me even when I was not playing well. They were there supporting me through my loss. Such support makes you push yourself harder. I'm genuinely grateful to Adani Group for their support. It's great to see such corporations coming into the game. It's overall a good thing for the game,' he concluded. (ANI)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store