Jadeja is not a front-line spinner... ' - Former India coach slams team management for including Ravindra Jadeja in ENG vs IND Test XI

abhinayreddy — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:11:24 GMT

Former India coach slams team management for including Ravindra Jadeja in ENG vs IND Test XI

Greg Chappell Questions Jadeja’s Role as Main Spinner in England

Former India coach Greg Chappell has questioned why Ravindra Jadeja was picked as India’s main spinner for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Jadeja played in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, but didn’t do much with the ball.

Some experts were unhappy with Jadeja because he couldn’t make use of the rough outside Ben Duckett’s off-stump during the fourth innings. England chased down 371 runs to win the match in style. Writing in his column, Chappell said Jadeja doesn’t have the right skills to be the main spinner in England. He believes India need to choose a better-balanced team if they want to fight back in the five-match series.

“Jadeja isn’t a front-line spinner in English conditions. If his batting is good enough, he can be a support spinner. Otherwise, they need to think again. India need a better balanced team to turn things around,” Chappell wrote. Chappell also didn’t like the idea of picking all-rounders or part-time bowlers to make up for batting failures at the top.

“I don’t agree with picking an extra batter who can bowl just because the top order might collapse. The top six should be trusted to score runs. The captain needs the best bowling combination to take 20 wickets,” he said.

"Ravindra Jadeja Not A Front-Line Spinner...": BCCI Sent Brutal 'Rethink' Message Ahead Of 2nd England Test#ENGvsIND #RavindraJadeja https://t.co/abm1zMRxMw
— CricketNDTV (@CricketNDTV) July 1, 2025

Selectors Need to Be Brave

Chappell said the pressure is now on the selectors. He wants them to make bold decisions and trust specialist players instead of relying too much on all-rounders. “The selectors are under pressure now. Just like batters and bowlers have to take risks to get runs and wickets, selectors need to be brave and make strong choices,” he added.

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The second Test between India and England starts on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston in Birmingham. It promises to be an exciting match as India look to bounce back.