ENG vs IND: Greg Chappell questions Ravindra Jadeja's inclusion in India's playing XI
Former India coach Greg Chappell has cast doubt over Ravindra Jadeja's role in the Indian Test side following a disappointing outing in the first Test against England at Headingley. Chappell believes Jadeja should not be picked as a frontline spinner in English conditions and said India must reassess their team balance if they are to bounce back in the series."Jadeja is not a front-line spinner in English conditions. If his batting is considered good enough, he can be a support spinner; otherwise a rethink is necessary. If India are to reverse their fortunes in this series then a better balanced team is required," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.advertisementJadeja managed just 36 runs across two innings and took a solitary wicket on a deteriorating fifth-day pitch, drawing criticism for his lack of bite and penetration. England comfortably chased down a record 371 in the fourth innings, with many pointing fingers at Jadeja for not exploiting the rough effectively.
The 35-year-old has now gone six Test innings without crossing 30, and questions are being raised over both his batting temperament and his ability to bat with the tail. His lack of footwork and tendency to get caught on the crease have only added to concerns.Jadeja was earlier left out of the first two Tests during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin preferred in Perth and Adelaide. He returned with a gritty half-century in the third Test, regaining his place for the remainder of the series. But his recent form in England has reignited debate around his utility as a sole spinner.advertisementChappell also took aim at the selection strategy, warning against the trend of picking part-time bowlers or batting all-rounders as "insurance" against top-order failures."I don't agree that an extra batter who bowls should be selected as insurance against top-order collapses. The top six must be trusted to deliver the runs and that the best combination to secure the requisite 20 wickets is available to the captain," wrote Chappell.India fielded Shardul Thakur in Leeds as the fourth seamer and lower-order batting option. But Thakur bowled only 16 overs in the match-just six in the first innings and 10 in the second-despite taking two wickets in an over, which raised questions about his selection as a frontline option.Chappell urged the Indian selectors to make bold calls and trust specialists to deliver, instead of relying on multi-dimensional players who dilute the team's core strengths."The selectors are the ones under pressure now. If batters and bowlers have to be prepared to take risks to score runs and take wickets, they too have to have the courage to take bold decisions," he added.India will now face England in the second Test of the five-match series starting Wednesday, July 3, at Edgbaston, Birmingham, needing a win to stay alive in the contest.- EndsMust Watch
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NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Vaibhav Suryavanshi Scores 45 As India U19 Lose To England U19, Series Level At 1-1
Riding on captain Thomas Rew's brilliant century, England scraped through with a narrow one-wicket win over India in the second Youth ODI to level the five-match series 1-1 in Northampton on Monday. India, who had won the first match by six wickets at Hove on June 27, posted 290 in 49 overs after being asked to bat. England then chased down the target with three balls to spare, reaching 291 for 9 in 49.3 overs. Medium pacer RS Ambrish took four wickets for 80 runs from his 10 overs to raise hopes of an Indian victory but the last English pair of Sebastian Morgan (20 not out) and Alex French (3 not out) survived the final two overs to give their side a win in a see-saw battle. The home side made a shaky start in their run chase with opener BJ Dawkins (7) back in the dressing room in the second over at team score of just seven. They slumped to 46 for 2 and then to 47 for 3 in the 12th over with Ambrish taking the wickets of Ben Mayes (27) and Isaac Mohammed (11) in quick succession. But Rew (131 off 89 balls) and Rocky Flintoff (39) resurrected the England innings with a 123-run stand for the fourth wicket before the latter got out off Kanishk Chouhan in the 33rd over. Rew, who hit 16 fours and six sixes in his masterly innings, fell in the 40th over off the bowling of Henil Patel and that led to a batting collapse as England were reduced to 254 for 8 by the 46th over. England needed 20 runs from three overs and 12 from two but they had just two wickets in hand. Alex Green (12) fell in the first ball of the penultimate over, the third victim for Ambrish, and England needed seven runs from the final over with the last pair at the crease. England eventually crossed the line with Morgan hitting a four off the third ball of the final over bowled by Yudhajit Guha. Earlier, asked to bat first, opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi (45), Vihaan Malhotra (49), Rahul Kumar (47), Kanishk Chouhan (45) and Abhigyan Kundu (32) made useful contribution to take India to 290 from 49 overs. This was after opener and captain Ayush Mhatre was dismissed for a duck off the first ball of the innings. However, India recovered from that jolt with the other top and middle-order batters coming good. Suryavanshi was among the runs for the second time as he had also made 48 in India's comprehensive win in the first match. For England, AM French was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/71 from his 10 overs while Jack Home (3/63) and Alex Green (3/50) were among the wickets. The home side conceded 32 extras, including 26 wides. Brief scores: India U-19: 290 all out in 49 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 45, Vihaan Malhotra 49, Rahul Kumar 47, Kanishk Chouhan 45; AM French 4/71, Jack Home 3/63, Alex Green 3/50). England U-19: 291 for 9 in 49.3 overs (Thomas Rew 131, Rocky Flintoff 39; RS Ambrish 4/80).
The Hindu
an hour ago
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Where is the sword-swishing, humming Jadeja?
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) - ( — 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.
India Gazette
an hour ago
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"Want to manage his confidence": Ryan ten Doeschate backs Yashasvi Jaiswal following poor fielding performance in Leeds Test
Birmingham [UK], June 30 (ANI): Ahead of the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate backed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal following his poor outing in the field during both innings of the first Test against England, which was played at Leeds. India dropped several catching opportunities throughout the opening Test against England, which conspired against them during their five-wicket defeat at Headingley. During the entire Test, India dropped as many as eight catching opportunities, which tipped the scales in England's favour. The eight dropped chances cost India a whopping 250 runs, a valuable tally that held the power to change the visitors' fate. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the prime offender with four dropped chances, followed by other top fielders. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ten Doeschate said, 'I think we always want depth in the catching department. In England, you're always going to have four catchers at some stage in the game. Yashasvi has been a very good catcher for us. We want to manage his confidence. There's also an argument for the short leg being a very important position, particularly if we are going to play two spinners. We want to pick more guys in that position. So I think the more versatile we are as a fielding unit, the more guys can do more jobs. Maybe just give Yashasvi a break from catching in the gully for a little while. His hands are quite sore. We want to get his confidence back up.' In the fifth over of the first innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped Ben Duckett on 11, who eventually got dismissed 23.5 overs later on 62. In the seventh over, India's gun fielder Ravindra Jadeja floored the ball and allowed Duckett another lifeline on 15. In the 31st over, Jaiswal emerged as the culprit yet again when he failed to keep hold of the ball and allowed Ollie Pope to continue with his innings on 60. He stayed for 20.2 overs and returned with a valuable 106. Fortune continued to stand by England's side when wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant dropped Harry Brook on 46 in the 72nd over, who was dismissed 16.3 overs later on 99. This wasn't the only time Brook saw his catch go down. In the 85th over, Jaiswal's torrid run continued when he fumbled the opportunity and gave Brook another lifeline when he had struck 82 runs. Debutant Sai Sudharsan was the next culprit, who allowed Jamie Smith a second life after spilling his catch in the 72nd over when he had just 19 runs across his name. Smith continued to bat for the next 7.5 overs and returned with 40. India's dropped catching fiasco continued in the second innings, with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's failure to get hold of Zak Crawley's catch of his own delivery in the 29th over when the English opener was at 38. The lanky batter continued to bat for 13.4 overs and was dismissed on 65. Jaiswal dropped a record fourth opportunity when he spilt Duckett's catch in the 39th over when the southpaw was at 97. He punished India for the mistake and returned to the dressing room with 149 after 15.5 overs. India will take on England in the second Test of the five-match series at Edgbaston, Birmingham, which will be played from July 2 to 6. Squads: India: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav. England: Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes. (ANI)
