It is just impossible to imagine an Indian Test team without Ravindra Jadeja.. especially now, when R Ashwin has retired. That also makes him the most experienced player in the side, with over 10 years on his CV. But is that really enough, and should that be the criteria to include him in XI’s anymore?
Ravindra Jadeja a Liability in England?
In the first IND vs ENG Test at Leeds, the 36-year-old bowled over 40 overs, forget the runs he gave away.. and picked up just a solitary wicket. That is the where the problem lies. Yes, his batting lower down the order invaluable, but the Indian team management should start to look beyond him for sure.
CountryOvers BowledWicketsAverageEngland4802848.07Australia189.31829.05New Zealand104560.60South Africa62.2625Ravindra Jadeja bowling SENA
Why do we say so? Simply put, he isn’t the best in SENA countries, while no can question his spot in the XI, in India. Starting with his overall numbers, just to give a perspective, in 81 matches he has scored 3406 runs at an average of 34.75 with 4 tons and 22 fifties. Brilliant. To go with that, he has 324 wickets, which is exceptional.
Poor Bowling Record in England
But his numbers are quite poor — bowling wise, when it comes to SENA nations. Just in England, he has bowled 480 overs, and picked up only 28 wickets at an average of 48. There are no fifers here. In NZ, he has picked up 5 wickets in 104 overs, at an average of 60. IN South Africa, in 62 overs, he has 6 wickets, and in Australia, in 189 overs, he has 18 wickets, and there the average is 29.
Cricket 12 mins Kuldeep Yadav over Ravindra Jadeja? Experts give verdict on India’s senior-most spinnerGautam Gambhir Needs to Invest in Specialists
So, looking ahead at the IND vs ENG series, it is quite clear, that Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill shouldn’t be afraid to replace Jadeja with Kuldeep Yadav. He is an out-and-out wicket-taker and can be quite effective on dead-looking wickets there. If Jaddu goes out, that gives and opportunity to play Nitish Kumar Reddy as a batter also. To cut the long story short, the need of the hour is getting in specialist players, since the all-rounders have been ineffective.
Thus far, Gambhir as a coach has shown a lot of reliance on all-rounders, but then they have not really delivered so far. So, it is better in the interest of the team, that Shardul also goes out. That would pave way for Dhruv Jurel to play as a pure batter. That said, it is going to be a tough decision for sure, but it needs to come now, or else, India would suffer the same fate as the Australia series, earlier this year.
India’s Best Playing XI for 2nd England Test
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah/ Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.Unpopular Opinion: Ravindra Jadeja should not be guaranteed a spot in SENA Tests Inside Sport India.
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