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'He hasn't quite got the wickets': Former England player points out shortcoming in Ravindra Jadeja's performance

Ravindra Jadeja has been phenomenal with the bat till now in the Test series against England, but with the ball the all-rounder has been fairly quiet. A former England cricketer could not refrain from highlighting Jadeja's substandard performance with the ball.

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A still of Ravindra Jadeja from Lord's Test. AP
A still of Ravindra Jadeja from Lord's Test. AP
FirstCricket Staff|Jul 18, 2025, 17:01:19 IST

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja almost pulled off a miraculous win for India at Lord's. And it would have certainly gone down as one of India's greatest ever victories had the team amassed another 22 runs and successfully chased down the score of 193 on Day 5 of the 3rd Test. Jadeja went down fighting, and his heroic effort with the bat will remain etched in the memories of Indian cricket fans, but the recollection of it will come with an aching feeling of defeat.

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Having aggregated over 300 runs with the bat, Jadeja is proving to be 'Mr. Consistent' for India in the series, but with the ball, he has been fairly quiet. He has only snared three dismissals in as many Tests this series, putting him under the scanner for not being at his lethal best with the ball.

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One can assert that the series has been largely dominated by pacers, which comes out to be the case in England each time, but there is a counterargument available for that. Shoaib Bashir, who leads the spin department for England, has picked 10 wickets in the series already. Moreover, part-timer Joe Root has also picked up two wickets despite bowling three times fewer overs than Jadeja.

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Moeen Ali not impressed with Jadeja's bowling

Ravindra Jadeja's runs make up for the insipid performance with the ball, but former England all-rounder Moeen Ali did not refrain from highlighting the missing element from Jadeja's overall show.

"He just knows what he's doing. I think he's done it for many years. I think he's been amazing with the bat this series, obviously," Moeen told India Today.

"I think with the ball, he hasn't quite got the wickets, but he does what he does. He's very tight. He can bowl, but he's not outstanding... I think now he's at the peak of his batting. Bowling-wise, I think he just doesn't have the wickets. With the tally, I think he's bowled well, he just doesn't have the wickets," he added.

Kuldeep Yadav has remained available for India, but with the priority being to bring depth to batting, his selection in the playing XI is unlikely.

"I would like to see Kuldeep in the team, but I don't know who for. Washington's bowled well, Jadeja batted well. So it makes it difficult to bring Kuldeep Yadav in the side. I would like to see Kuldeep in, but I don't think they can fit him in," said Moeen.

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First Published:Jul 18, 2025, 17:01:19 IST
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