Ravindra Jadeja bowled 47 overs in the first Test against England but could manage only one wicket — a disappointing outcome for the experienced Indian all-rounder.
In the Headingley Test, Jadeja failed to leave much of an impact with the ball. His performance left former England batsman and commentator Mark Butcher stunned.
Despite dominating large parts of the game, India lost the opening Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy by five wickets. England chased down a massive target of 371 in the fourth innings with plenty of time to spare on the final day — becoming the first team in 148 years of Test history to win a match after conceding five centuries.
On the final day, England needed 350 runs and India needed all ten wickets. But England’s left-handed opener Ben Duckett scored with ease off Jadeja, frequently unsettling him with reverse sweeps. Later, fellow left-hander Ben Stokes did the same.
Jadeja struggled to consistently bowl into the rough areas of the pitch. And by the time he did start using the worn spots effectively — managing to dismiss Stokes with turn and bounce late in the final session — the match was already beyond India’s reach.
Across the entire match, Jadeja bowled 47 overs, conceding 172 runs for just one wicket. Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, former batsman Mark Butcher expressed how surprised he was by such a performance from a player of Jadeja’s experience.
“I couldn’t believe he bowled that poorly… if you’re talking about experience, he’s got all of it. Neither he nor the keeper Rishabh Pant seemed to think that bowling into the rough to left-handers all day might be a good idea.”
Jadeja didn’t shine with the bat either. He was dismissed for just 11 runs in the first innings and remained unbeaten on 25 in the second. In both innings, India collapsed from strong positions during the lower-order phase.
The experienced all-rounder has been going through a lean phase in Test cricket for several months. Since the home series against New Zealand last November, he has managed just five wickets across four Test matches.
