Former England captain Nasser Hussain expressed his astonishment at Ravindra Jadeja’s inability to adapt his bowling strategy during the first Test between India and England at Headingley. Hussain believes the 36-year-old Indian spinner has “plenty to ponder” before the second Test commences on Wednesday, July 2, in Edgbaston.
Despite bowling in conditions seemingly favorable to his style, Jadeja managed to secure only one wicket throughout the Test. This performance stood in stark contrast to England’s young off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who, despite facing considerable criticism, claimed three wickets in the match.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain analyzed how England opener Ben Duckett effectively countered Jadeja, while captain Ben Stokes appeared to struggle. However, Hussain primarily critiqued Jadeja for not exploiting the available rough patches on the pitch, suggesting that the experienced Indian spinner might still be grappling with a “sub-continent hangover”.
“There is plenty for Jadeja to ponder as well,” Hussain wrote. “I could not believe how long it took him to change the way he bowled on the final day at Headingley. The rough wasn’t extensive to the left-hander, but it was fairly wide and full and yet Jadeja bowled relatively straight to Duckett. He kept missing the rough.”
Hopefully Ravindra Jadeja will perform better in the second test with both bat and ball.
