Veteran India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin praised Ravindra Jadeja for his valiant effort with the bat at Lord's in a tricky chase, but he felt that the left-handed batter should have taken a bit more risk. Jadeja fought the battle alongside tailenders on Day 5 but in the end failed to take India over the line in the thrilling clash. The experienced all-rounder played a crucial rescue act with an unbeaten 61 off 181 deliveries, holding firm and keeping India in the contest just as the game seemed to be slipping away. He stitched crucial partnerships with Jasprit Bumrah (5) and Mohammed Siraj (4) to take the game deep; however, India were left 22 runs short at the end.
R Ashwin shared his assessment of India's performance at Lord's and revealed that he had been in constant touch with a prominent cricketer during the match, analysing every twist and turn. The former all-rounder said he discussed Jadeja's performance with the big cricketer, whose identity he chose not to disclose, and mentioned that both felt the 36-year-old could have taken slightly more risks during his knock.
"I was messaging a big cricketer throughout the match. I won't take his name, but both of us were discussing the match. Both of us felt that Jadeja should have probably taken a little more risk, but not a lot. The way he played, hats off! Jaddu showed an entire generation of Gen Bold that you can play with patience and skin the Test game," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
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‘Jadeja could have picked one moment with Siraj’
With India reeling at 112/8, chasing 193, Jadeja found determined partners in the tail. He and Bumrah put on a crucial 35-run stand that spanned over 22 overs, turning a lost cause into a tense contest. After Bumrah's dismissal, Siraj joined Jadeja, and the pair continued to frustrate England's bowlers.
{{/usCountry}}With India reeling at 112/8, chasing 193, Jadeja found determined partners in the tail. He and Bumrah put on a crucial 35-run stand that spanned over 22 overs, turning a lost cause into a tense contest. After Bumrah's dismissal, Siraj joined Jadeja, and the pair continued to frustrate England's bowlers.
{{/usCountry}}Ashwin asserted that Jadeja and Siraj could have planned to attack Shoaib Bashir, with the latter taking the charge with his pinch-hitting.
"He could have picked one moment with Siraj and asked him to go after Bashir because Siraj can hit a clean ball. He can hit a spinner to the leg side with the slope," Ashwin remarked.