New Delhi, July 19 Former India head coach Greg Chappell questioned whether Ravindra Jadeja’s disciplined knock of 61 not out off 181 balls was the right approach in the chase of 193 in the third Test against England at Lord’s, citing that the all-rounder had to take calculated risks and not just block boundaries.
On the final day’s play, Jadeja was at his gritty and defiant best to hit his fourth successive fifty in Tests. But that valiant effort went in vain as India lost by 22 runs at Lord’s and now find themselves 2-1 behind in the five-match series against England.
“The Lord's Test also provided a telling moment with the way Jadeja was managed late in the match. Left with the tail, Jadeja did what many specialist batters do in that situation: he shielded the tail, farmed the strike, and played conservatively. On the surface, it was a disciplined innings. But was it the right one?”
“The truth is, Jadeja was the only recognised batter left. If India were to chase down the target, he had to take calculated risks. His job wasn't to leave balls and collect singles - it was to win the match. That clarity should have come from the dressing room, from the captain.”
“He needed to be told directly: 'You are the man who has to get this done. The tail's job is to hang in there with you, but you must go for the win',” wrote Chappell in his column for ESPNcricinfo on Saturday.
Jadeja also shared defiant partnerships of 35 and 23 coming off 132 and 80 deliveries with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj respectively. But Chappell chose to recall how England faced a similar situation and skipper Ben Stokes went the aggressive way to ensure his team won over Australia in the famous Headingley Test in 2019.
“We saw exactly that from England's Ben Stokes against Australia in Leeds in 2019. In a similar situation, he backed himself and produced one of the best innings of the past 50 years. Importantly, Stokes played that innings knowing that, succeed or fail, his team and leadership would have his back. That's the mindset that needs to be fostered in any great team,” he concluded.
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