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Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticised Ravindra Jadeja for his lack of impact in India’s five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. The all-rounder scored 36 runs across both innings and claimed only a single wicket, despite being given the chance to bowl in conditions that were almost perfect on the final day.

Jadeja is the choice number one all-rounder of India in Test matches played abroad. However, he struggled to stop the lower order from collapsing in both innings. He was out for 11 in the first innings, and in the second, he remained unbeaten on 25.

His capability to support the tail was doubted on both occasions, and his bowling performance did not stand out. In the first innings, Jadeja was unable to claim a wicket, while Jasprit Bumrah led the charge with five wickets. Although the conditions were not perfect for spinners at that time, Jadeja failed to capitalise on the rough patches on Day 5.

By the time Jadeja found the correct length and pace to trouble the batters, England were already in a strong position.

“One of the reasons India opted for Ravindra Jadeja over Ravichandran Ashwin or even Kuldeep Yadav was his batting ability. However, in my view, that is not the same as it was 3-4 years ago. This could lead to some discussion, as India need contributions from their spinners. If Jadeja isn’t providing that, they may have to consider playing a second spinner. The question then arises: can they play two spinners in England? These are the kinds of questions that will come up,” Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo.

Sanjay Manjrekar stressed that Jadeja, being an experienced player, must take more responsibility and deliver for the team. He also pointed out that Jadeja’s batting form has significantly declined.

In 2023 and 2024, the left-handed batter posted averages of 35.13 and 29.28, respectively. Since the beginning of the 2024 home season, he has scored two half-centuries, one of which came at The Gabba in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series.

Although Jadeja was able to remove Ben Stokes in the second innings, England only required 69 more runs to win, with five wickets still in hand.