IND vs ENG: Rajkot hero Ravindra Jadeja ready for added responsibility in India’s middle order

Unlike traditional selection riches and consistently dominant performances at home.

India have been forced to rely on emerging talents in the absence of key players for the first two Tests against England in the ongoing five-match series.

Now with the five-match Test series tied 1-1, India head to Rajkot with further changes in the batting order as Shreyas Iyer has been left out and KL Rahul is yet to recover from a quadriceps injury. However, in a piece of welcome news for the Indian team, which grapples with injuries and form concerns, star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has made steady progress in training after missing the second Test due to hamstring. Fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav confirmed that the Rajkot local will be available for the third Test against England.

Ravindra Jadeja was looking confident as he batted in a long net session on Tuesday before rolling his arm over during India’s pre-match training session in Rajkot. That intense batting session is a sign that the team management expects the senior pro to step up with the bat and fulfill a bigger role. Head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma were keenly watching Jadeja’s stint at the nets from the sidelines.

Mind you, Jadeja is a decade-old Test veteran, and his batting prowess in the last five years is one of the major reasons behind India’s lower-order batting success. Jadeja has been India’s crisis man after top-order failures, especially away from home, in the recent past. However, with Virat Kohli opting out of the series due to personal reasons and Rahul yet to regain full fitness, India’s middle-order needs someone of Jadeja’s stature to step in.

JADEJA’s RISE AS A TEST BATTER

When Ravindra Jadeja first emerged in Test cricket, he epitomised the archetype of a bowling all-rounder, a relentless force on favorable pitches. His prowess with the ball was undeniable, effortlessly dismantling opposing batters as if they were mere nuisances on a scorching summer day. But when it came to batting, he struggled to stay focused for long. He enjoyed playing but often got distracted quickly. Making big scores in Test matches seemed difficult for him. Even though he followed no one on Instagram, building an innings was as unfamiliar to him as following someone on social media.

In his first 26 innings as a batsman in international cricket, his highest score was only 68. And in his first five seasons of Test cricket, he never managed to average more than 22.5 with the bat. Whenever he was dropped from limited-overs matches, he would go back to domestic cricket, score big runs, and make it back to the team. But in 2018, things changed for him. The Indian team wanted more than just “fun fifties” from him as they believed he could play long innings defensively.

Since 2018, Jadeja boasts the second-highest average among Indian batters who have scored a minimum of 500 runs in Tests, with only Rohit Sharma surpassing him in this regard. Additionally, his strike rate in Test cricket during this period stands at 55.79, slightly lower than his career strike rate of 59.78, suggesting a shift towards a more patient batting approach in this stage of his career.

The left-handed all-rounder became a pivotal figure in India’s lower order, delivering crucial runs in challenging conditions. By the culmination of his first decade in Test cricket in 2022, he had notched a century and three fifties in England alone. His batting prowess became so pronounced that India often entrusted him as the solitary spinner on overseas tours, relegating premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to the bench.

CAN JADEJA FILL IN THE GAP?
The Rajkot pitch, known for producing run-fests in the past, is expected to assist spin, which could play to Jadeja’s strengths. With the pitch unlikely to be a raging turner and possibly offering lower bounce, Jadeja’s nuanced understanding of the home conditions could prove invaluable. His ability to adapt his game to the demands of the pitch makes him a strong contender to anchor India’s innings in the middle order.

Jadeja’s experience and versatility make him a prime candidate to step up in the absence of Kohli and Rahul. His proficiency with both bat and ball, coupled with his intimate knowledge of the Rajkot pitch, positions him as the perfect fit for the No.4 or No.5 batting slot, ensuring the team’s balance and fortifying their middle order in challenging times.

Well maybe, Sarfaraz Khan might have to wait longer for his first Test cap if Jadeja bats up the order. India can have six bowling options (four spinners in the form of Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj taking up the pace mantel) in the Rajkot Test if Jadeja can double as a middle-order batter.