Could not believe how poorly Jadeja bowled at Headingley: Mark Butcher

New Delhi, June 26 Following India’s loss in the first Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Headingley, former England cricketer Mark Butcher criticised left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his subpar bowling performance in the fourth innings.

On final day’s play, England beat India by five wickets by completing a chase of 371 in the final session. Jadeja, 36, went into the match as one of the most senior-most players, but didn’t have a great influence on deciding its outcome. He made 11 & 25 not out with the bat, while his bowling figures of 0-68 & 1-104 left a lot to be desired.

Jadeja couldn’t make much use of rough on the pitch, as opener Ben Duckett scored freely off him through a variety of reverse sweeps.

“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, really. 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,” said Butcher on Wisden’s weekly podcast.

Butcher also spoke about his being dissatisfied with India's selection of seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who also didn’t live up to the expectations from his dual roles in Leeds. Though Thakur did dismiss Duckett and Harry Brook to bring some panic in England’s chase, his overall bowling figures of 0-38 in six overs in the first innings and 2-52 in the second essay were inadequate in supporting Jasprit Bumrah.

With the bat, Thakur couldn’t do anything special – making one and four in India’s respective batting innings.

"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. If you're 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,” concluded Butcher.

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