Greg Chappell Comes Down Heavily At Ravindra Jadeja For His Batting At Lord’s

Many said Ravindra Jadeja was brilliant in his approach during India's chase in the Lord’s Test, while others blamed him for the slowness of his innings in which he played 181 balls to score 61 runs as India eventually folded for 170 and lost the game by 22 runs.

However, former India coach and Australian legend Greg Chappell wrote a scathing critique of the all-rounder’s approach towards the chase, saying that Jadeja was not there to leave the ball, but to try and finish the game as quickly as possible. 

“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,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo. 

“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,” added the 76-year-old. 

Though Chappell also conceded that what Jadeja did would have been done by most batters at the juncture where the match with India eight down for 112, still needing 81 to get with only two bowlers left to bat with. However, the Australian also said that this conservationist approach was not right.  

“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?” he said. 

Jadeja, though, had found support in the form of his Saurashtra and former India teammate Cheteshwar Pujara, who said that the Indian all-rounder’s approach was right according to the conditions of the day. 

“He couldn’t have scored faster on that track. I felt that it was because the ball was soft, and the pitch was on the slower side. I guess Jadeja would have thought that the tailenders were batting well, and the team was getting close to the total. And once they were a little closer, he would have taken his chances. I thought he was batting well,” Pujara was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. 

In the end, after the loss at Lord’s, India now trail 1-2 in the five-match series with the fourth game at Old Trafford, Manchester on July 23.