‘How poorly he bowled…’: Former England cricketer shares candid opinion on Ravindra Jadeja recent form

Former England cricketer Mark Butcher criticised Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for not making effective use of the rough while bowling during the first Test at Leeds against England.

Former England cricketer Mark Butcher was blunt in his assessment of Ravindra Jadeja’s performance during the first Test at Leeds.Speaking on Wisden Cricket Weekly, Butcher pointed out that Jadeja failed to make the most of the rough patches on the pitch, likening it to “owning a hammer but punching nails in with your fist”

India’s new squad couldn’t defend the 371-run target in the Leeds Test against England. England’s opener Ben Duckett’s aggressive 149 and a steady half-century from Joe Root. In the second innings, Ravindra Jadeja bowled 24 overs, finishing with figures of 1/104, including the wicket of captain Ben Stokes. But England’s batters, especially Duckett, countered Jadeja effectively, frequently employing the reverse sweep to nullify his impact.

While speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, Butcher shared his thoughts on 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 criticised Team India’s selection choices, especially the inclusion of bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, as one of the reasons why they looked ineffective. He felt the team would have been better off picking spinner Kuldeep Yadav instead. Shardul struggled with the bat, failing to reach double figures, and managed only two wickets in the match while conceding runs at an expensive 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.

India will take on England at Edgbaston starting July 2. England lead the series 1-0 after their five-wicket win at Headingley.

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