Greg Chappell on Ravindra Jadeja's 181-ball 61: ‘His job wasn't to leave balls and collect singles – it was to win the match'
'The truth is, Jadeja was the only recognised batter left. If India were to chase down the target, he had to take calculated risks. His job wasn't to leave balls and collect singles – it was to win the match. That clarity should have come from the dressing room, from the captain. He needed to be told directly: 'You are the man who has to get this done. The tail's job is to hang in there with you, but you must go for the win,' Greg Chappell wrote in his column for ESPN Cricinfo.
'The Lord's Test also provided a telling moment with the way Jadeja was managed late in the match. Left with the tail, Jadeja did what many specialist batters do in that situation: he shielded the tail, farmed the strike, and played conservatively. On the surface, it was a disciplined innings. But was it the right one?' he added.
Indian cricketer, Cheteshwar Pujara, supported Jadeja. 'He couldn't have scored faster on that track. I felt that it was because the ball was soft, and the pitch was on the slower side. I guess, Jadeja would have thought that the tailenders were batting well and the team was getting close to the total. And once they were a little closer he would have taken his chances. I thought he was batting well. It was very difficult to score runs on that pitch,' says Pujara.
'The only thing he could have done better is to look to score down the ground. Like there was a gap between mid-off and cover,' Pujara said Jadeja could have done differently.
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