The Lord’s Test will be remembered as a classic at the ground. India was chasing 194 but England’s bowlers made it tough. The top order collapsed and only Ravindra Jadeja stood strong.
England won by 22 runs and took a 2-1 lead in the series. But many praised Jadeja for his unbeaten 61 off 181 balls.
Some cricket experts have questioned Jadeja’s batting approach. Greg Chappell, ex-India head coach, wrote in his ESPN Cricinfo column that Jadeja should have taken chances instead of just defending.“The Lord’s Test also showed how Jadeja handled things late in the match. With the tailenders, Jadeja did what many batsmen do: protect them, control the strike and play carefully. It looked like a disciplined innings but was it the right one? Chappell asked.
“Jadeja was the only experienced batsman left. To win he had to take some risks. His job wasn’t to just defend and take singles – it was to win. The team had to tell him that, he wrote.
“He needed to hear: ‘You are the one who has to do this. The tailenders are there to support you but you have to go for the win’, he added.
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Jadeja had partnerships of 35 (off 132 balls) and 23 (off 80) with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Chappell compared this to how England captain Ben Stokes played in a similar situation at Headingley in 2019.“Ben Stokes showed that against Australia in Leeds in 2019. He trusted himself and played one of the best innings in recent memory. Stokes knew his team would back him no matter what. That’s the attitude great teams have, Chappell said.
