Ravindra Jadeja couldn’t make a significant impact while bowling in the first innings as he went wicketless and conceded 95 runs in 23 overs at an economy rate of 4.10. Ravindra Jadeja was the only wicketless bowler for India and couldn’t provide control from his end. The Indian cricket team dropped Ravichandran Ashwin and Harshit Rana for the ongoing third Test after facing a crushing defeat of 10 wickets in the second Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide.
The Rohit Sharma-led Team India brought in the spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in place of Ravichandran Ashwin, while Akash Deep came in for the young pacer Harshit Rana, who was hammered by Travis Head critically in the Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Oval.
India’s selection strategy raises eyebrows with Ravindra Jadeja’s return for the Gabba Test
After the toss at The Gabba in Brisbane, where the third Test got underway between India and Australia, the touring side’s approach of frequently changing their playing XI, particularly in the spin-bowling department, has become a talking point among the cricket pundits.
The Indian cricket team has opted for different spinners in each of the three Tests of the ongoing five-match Test series so far in Australia. Washington Sundar began the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 campaign in Perth, followed by Ravichandran Ashwin in the pink-ball Test, and now Ravindra Jadeja has been brought into the mix in Brisbane for the crucial Test match.
Reacting to the change, former Indian batter now commentator Cheteshwar Pujara has expressed his disappointment with India’s team selection for the third Test in Brisbane. When India announced their XI for the game, they confirmed two changes – Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja in and Harshit Rana and Ravichandran Ashwin out.
Ravindra Jadeja’s return to Playing XI in expense of Ravichandran Ashwin surprises Cheteshwar Pujara
Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara reckons India probably erred by picking left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in their playing XI for the ongoing Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at The Gabba in Brisbane. Pujara opined that considering the number of left-handers in Australia’s playing XI, the visitors should have gone in with an off-spinner – Ravichandran Ashwin or Washington Sundar.
India have played three different spinners in the three BGT 2024-25 Test matches. Sundar was preferred over Ashwin and Jadeja for the opening Test in Perth. India brought in Ashwin for the pink-ball Test in Adelaide but replaced him with Jadeja for the ongoing contest in Brisbane.
Ravindra Jadeja has looked completely ineffective in Australia’s first innings. In 16 overs, he has conceded 72 runs without picking up a wicket. During a discussion on ESPNCricinfo, Pujara raised questions over India’s decision to bring in the left-arm spinner for The Gabba Test instead of picking an off-spinner:
“I know he has been chosen as a batter who can bowl a bit. But, in Australian conditions, when you know that the strong opposition batters are left-handers – Travis Head, Usman (Khawaja), and Alex Carey all are left-handers. So, you want your off-spinner to be there. Even if you look at the rough, it’s mainly for the right-handers, so off-spinners will come into play eventually, even in the second innings.
“That’s where I thought our thought process was not up to the mark. We could have gone with the off-spinner. It could have been Ashwin or Washington, but playing Jadeja was probably not the right call. He is one of the best players. He is a great batter and a great fielder, but probably to contain Aussies in those conditions, I thought it was a tough task for him,” Pujara added.
While Jadeja failed to make an impact on Day 2 of the Brisbane Test, lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah starred with 5-72 from 25 overs. Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up one wicket each, while Akash Deep went wicketless.
Despite Jasprit Bumrah’s heroics, Australia have the upper hand in the Brisbane Test. Resuming their first innings on 28-0, they went to stumps at 405-7. The hosts were 75-3 at one stage, but Travis Head (152) and Steve Smith (101) added 241 for the fourth wicket to frustrate India. At stumps, Alex Carey was unbeaten on 45 and Mitchell Starc on seven.
Bowling skill-wise, Ravichandran Ashwin is a better option and would have provided more control than Ravindra Jadeja did in the first innings. In fact, Ashwin used craft brilliantly in Adelaide and bowled well despite having no real assistance from the deck. However, as Pujara pointed out, India might have included Ravindra Jadeja due to his superior batting expertise. Ravindra Jadeja has played numerous match-winning knocks at home and away with the willow in the last few years and will provide more depth to a shaky batting unit.
Most Indian batters are not in great form or possess faulty techniques, and their problems have been exacerbated against a quality Aussie bowling unit. Hence, Ravindra Jadeja can save India from a collapse. Still, India would have expected more from him as a bowler. There’s another innings left, and Ravindra Jadeja will come more into play as a bowler in the second dig.