Sanjay Manjrekar dismissed the criticism of India’s fast bowlers and instead held Ravindra Jadeja accountable for the defeat in Leeds.
Sanjay Manjrekar Dismisses Bowling Blame, Credits Duckett After India’s Defeat in Leeds
As the Shubman Gill-led Indian team took the field in Leeds, two narratives quickly emerged. One praised the batting unit, which silenced doubts with five centuries despite the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The other pointed fingers at India’s bowling, with sympathy directed toward Jasprit Bumrah for the lack of support from fellow pacers. However, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar rejected that second line of reasoning.
Speaking to Star Sports after England’s dominant chase of 371—their second-highest at home and eerily similar to their 378-run pursuit against India four years ago—Sanjay Manjrekar said the pitch offered nothing for seamers, especially on Day 5.
“There was no lateral movement or swing, not even for Bumrah,” he said. “Even he couldn’t extract anything out of that pitch.”
Instead of focusing on India’s bowling struggles, Manjrekar lauded England opener Ben Duckett for his commanding performance. “Duckett has one of the best records against Bumrah and Jadeja. I don’t think he’s ever been dismissed by Jadeja, even playing at home. When you have a batter that comfortable against your two frontline bowlers, you’re in a great position to win,” he explained.
Manjrekar’s take shifted the spotlight from India’s bowling unit to England’s clinical batting, particularly Duckett’s ability to nullify India’s main weapons.
‘Jadeja was disappointing’
Sanjay Manjrekar didn’t hold back in his criticism of Ravindra Jadeja’s Day 5 performance in the Leeds Test, expressing disappointment over the senior spinner’s failure to exploit a surface tailor-made for him. While he spared younger bowlers like Prasidh Krishna, noting their expected areas for improvement, Manjrekar held Jadeja to a higher standard given his experience.
“It’s not fair to be overly critical of someone like Prasidh Krishna—he’s still learning. But with Jadeja, I was disappointed,” Manjrekar said. “This was a final-day pitch with visible rough to work with. It wasn’t a typical English surface offering nothing. There was something in it for him.”
He specifically pointed out Jadeja’s lack of urgency in targeting the rough against key English batters. “Against Ben Stokes, I expected him to use the rough more. Against Duckett, he only started using it very late in the innings. From an experienced bowler, especially the most seasoned player in the side, you expect better game awareness and impact.”
Jadeja finished with just one wicket for 104 runs in 24 overs in the second innings—a return Manjrekar felt didn’t match the conditions or the expectations from a player of his calibre. With the seamers finding little assistance from the pitch, Jadeja’s inability to capitalize stood out as a key missed opportunity.
