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Why didn't he trust Jasprit Bumrah? Ravindra Jadeja blamed: ‘He was afraid of failing’ at Lord's
Sandhu looked back at the dramatic end to the Lord’s Test, pointing out that Ravindra Jadeja could have trusted Jasprit Bumrah a little more.
Former India cricketer Balwinder Singh Sandhu reflected on Ravindra Jadeja’s knock at Lord's, where he felt that the pressure got the better of him while batting with the tail. Highlighting the tension in the final moments at Lord’s, the 1983 World Cup-winning star noted that Jadeja—usually composed under pressure—may have let doubts creep in during his partnership with Jasprit Bumrah.
Meanwhile, 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. Bumrah faced 54 balls where he scored just five runs, as it seemed like he was assigned the role to hold one end.
Balwinder recalled Jadeja's U-19 days at NCA to talk about how mature he was right from the young age but he felt that fear of failure forced him not trust his tail at Lord's.
"Coming to the final moments, Ravindra Jadeja is someone I’ve known since his U-19 days at the National Cricket Academy. Even back then, he showed maturity beyond his age. He’s a smart cricketer, calm under pressure, but this time, maybe the fear of failing, or the pressure of not trusting the tail, got the better of him," Sandhu wrote in his column for Mid-day.
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‘If only he had trusted Jasprit Bumrah a bit more…’
Jadeja fought hard on Day 5 with his 61-run knock off 181 balls, which was laced with 4 fours and a six, but failed to take India over the line.
Sandhu looked back at the dramatic end to the Lord’s Test, pointing out that Jadeja could have trusted Bumrah a little more, especially with how solidly he was defending. He felt that instead of taking a single on the fourth ball, Jadeja could have backed himself to finish the job, particularly with the field up and two deliveries still left in the over.
"If only he had trusted Jasprit Bumrah a bit more - especially when Bumrah was defending so well - and resisted taking that single off the fourth ball to retain strike. Had he backed himself to finish it in those last two balls, with the field up, it was a perfect moment to go for the boundary."
