"How Poorly He Bowled": Ex-England Star's Brutally Honest Take On Ravindra Jadeja's Performance
Former England cricketer Mark Butcher criticised Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his poor bowling utilisation of the rough during the first Test at Leeds against England, calling it "owning a hammer but punching nails in with your fist", reported Wisden Cricket Weekly. The new-look Team India failed to chase 371 runs during the Leeds Test against England, with opener Ben Duckett's swashbuckling 149 and watchful Joe Root's fifty contributing big to the team's win. During the second innings, Jadeja took 1/104 in 24 overs, getting the over of skipper Ben Stokes. However, England, particularly Duckett, neutralised Jadeja's threat very well, using the reverse sweep to their advantage.
Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, Butcher said about Jadeja, "I could not believe how poorly he bowled. I would liken 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."
"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.
Butcher also slammed Team India's selection, particularly of bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, as one of the reasons why they looked ineffective, and they could have gone for spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Shardul could not get into double digits while batting and took a total of two wickets across the match, leaking runs at a high economy rate.
"The issue around the lineup itself... how much more interesting might that last day have been had they gone for Kuldeep Yadav instead of Shardul Thakur. Thakur had had a really poor game until that one over where he gave India a tiny sniff at the back-end," he said.
"If you are not contributing with the bat down there at No.8, you damn well be taking wickets, and be in the game as a bowler for more of the game than he was," he concluded.
Coming to the match, India was put to bat first by England. Centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), skipper Shubman Gill (147) and Rishabh Pant (134) pushed India to 471, with Ben Stokes being the leading bowler with figures of 4/66.
England also delivered a fine reply with the bat, as a century from Ollie Pope (106) and fifties from Harry Brook (99) and Ben Duckett (62) pushed them to 465, giving India a slender six-run lead. Jasprit Bumrah did take a fifer, but did not get a lot of support from other bowlers.
India took a strong lead in the second innings, with centuries from KL Rahul (137) and Pant (118) taking them to 364. India led by 370 runs, but it was a lower-order collapse that prevented the lead from being even more massive. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue took three wickets to stand out among bowlers.
In the chase of 371 runs, England started off well with a 188-run stand between Zak Crawley (65) and Duckett (149). However, a few quick strikes reduced them to 253/4, placing India in a balanced spot. However, Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (44*) took England home, despite two wickets each from Prasidh Krishna and Thakur.
Duckett took home the 'Player of the Match' award.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
44 minutes ago
- India Today
Jofra Archer returns: What are his numbers against India and at home in Tests?
Jofra Archer has officially been named in England's squad for the second Test against India to be held at Edgbaston on July 2. The Ben Stokes-led side will be in a predicament over whether they should consider the pacer to start in the upcoming fixture, considering he has just come out of a rough patch due to pacer makes his return to the Test team, and if picked to start, will play his first Test since February 2021 when he played against India at question still lingers whether the hosts should consider his inclusion. Former cricketers like Michael Vaughan have suggested against it and wanted him to show he can handle the demands of the longest format by having more domestic games under his belt. He made his return to Sussex to play County cricket for the first time in four years earlier this week. He took part in the recently concluded match against Durham which ended in a draw. He had bowled in the first innings where he had 18 overs under his belt which had 18 maidens and gave away just 32 runs while taking one remains a big what-if whether his body can handle a similar workload across both innings. But England could consider his inclusion as he is one that can swing the ball both ways, can bowl in the high 140s and can be a genuine threat with the short balls as us now have a look at what the numbers suggest:JOFRA ARCHER'S TEST RECORD IN ENGLANDThe pacer has taken part in eight Test matches on home soil where he has taken 30 wickets at an average of 26.86 and an economy of 2.86 runs per over. Even if Archer does not seem to be the one taking the wickets, the economical bowling can be a big asset in the longest format. In fact, this was even missing in the Indian bowling attack which resulted in their defeat at ARCHER'S RECORD AGAINST INDIAThe fast-bowler has taken part in two matches against India, both being away from home. It is fair to say he did not have much luck there, considering he had four wickets across both games and ended up conceding a total of 122 runs in the 35 overs bowled. But his luck could be better considering the English conditions were more suited for the faster thing to consider is his ability to contribute some quick runs with the bat. While he may not be the ideal lower-order batter to have, he certainly has the power to clear the boundary ropes at will, as seen in various instances across international and franchise one of the biggest drawbacks to his inclusion for the second Test will be whether Ben Stokes will be caught up in trying to manage his workload and his own. This could prove to be detrimental to the side, and it would be ideal if the management were given the go-ahead to use him freely. However, that is never the case when it comes to fast bowlers, considering how demanding it can be physically. Nonetheless, it will be a big call taken, and the management will hope that the pacer can find his rhythm and maintain his fitness for an extended period.- EndsMust Watch
News18
44 minutes ago
- News18
'Not Big Believer Of Workload Management': Head Coach Gambhir's Old Clip Goes Viral
Last Updated: Bumrah, in all likelihood, will miss the 2nd India-England Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 2 to 6 as part of his workload management. Jasprit Bumrah was India's best bowler in the first Test against England, which was played from June 20 to 24 in Leeds and in which India suffered a defeat by five wickets despite posting a target of 371 runs. The star fast bowler, who tops the ICC Test bowler's ranking, is expected to miss the second Test of the ongoing five-match series as part of workload management. Bumrah suffered a back injury during the India-Australia Test series earlier this year, and it kept him out of action for more than three months. He made a successful comeback to competitive cricket via IPL in April 2025 but was advised to manage his workload as well, and as a result, it was revealed by the Indian team management (chief selector, head coach, and captain) that he will only play three Tests in England. There is still no clarity on which two Tests Bumrah will miss, but after India suffered a humiliating defeat in the series opener and other bowlers produced an ordinary show with the ball, many former greats and experts of the game want Bumrah to play in the second Test as well. Amid suspense over Bumrah's participation in the red-ball match at Edgbaston from July 2 to 6, an old video of India head coach Gautam Gambhir is going viral on the internet in which he can be heard saying that he is not a believer in workload management. 'I'm a very strong believer in one thing—that if you're good, you should be playing all three formats. I've never been a big believer in injury management. If you get injured, you go get recovered, as simple as it gets. When you're playing international cricket and you're good enough, you ask any of the top players—they want to play all three formats. They don't want to say, and they don't want to be labelled as red-ball bowlers or white-ball bowlers. Injuries are part of a sportsman's life, and if you're playing all three formats, you get injured, and you go back and get recovered, but you should be playing all three formats," Gautam said. Bro you were against it — N (@Arsenik_Lahk) June 26, 2025 'I am not a big believer in identifying people and saying, 'Okay, we're going to keep him for Test matches. We're going to keep him; we're going to manage his injury and workload and stuff.' Look, as professional cricketers, you've got a very small span when you're playing for your country. And you want to play as much as you can, and when you're in very good form, Go ahead and play all the formats," he added. First Published:
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Ajinkya Rahane's new YouTube channel: Fresh innings off the pitch
Ajinkya Rahane, Indian star batter has launched his own YouTube channel. This marks a new chapter in his journey to connect with fans and share his cricketing insights. Ajinkya Rahane's YouTube channel was officially announced on June 20, 2025, with posts on his social media account. Rahane shared content on his channel, with posts indicating his intent to provide thoughtful commentary on cricket. He started with the topic- Questions and answers about India's Test series against England. His second video is an analysis of the first Test that Shubman Gill-led India lost by five wickets. Rahane's YouTube channel focuses on delivering in-depth cricket analysis, personal insights, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into his life as a cricketer. The following can be expected from his channel. Cricket Analysis - AJinkya Rahane's experience as a former Test captain and his skillful analysis will likely offer fans expert breakdowns of matches and strategies. Personal Stories - AJinkya Rahane might share anecdotes from his career and dressing room stories. Fan Engagement - Interactive content, such as Q&A sessions or reactions to fan queries, could also be included in the videos. Ajinkya Rahane has played an important part for India in Tests. He has amassed 5077 runs in 85 Tests at an average of 38.46, with 12 centuries and 26 fifties. He registered the highest score of 188 runs and took 102 catches. In the ODIs, Rahane played 90 matches, scoring 2,962 runs at an average of 35.26, with three centuries and 24 half-centuries. He registered the highest score of 111 and smashed 293 fours and 33 sixes. T20Is, he featured in 20 games, accumulating 375 runs including his highest score of 61 runs. AJinkya Rahane's channel comes at a time when he missed the cut in the Indian Test squad. However, he remains a significant player in domestic cricket and the IPL. His leadership in guiding Mumbai to the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy title and his aggressive batting in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy have caught attention.
