Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra defended Ravindra Jadeja after India suffered a heartbreaking loss of 22 runs against England at Lord’s. Jadeja scored 61 runs off 181 balls to take India closer to the target of 193 runs.

The left-hander scored four fours and one six and played at a strike rate of 33.70. After India’s loss, many fans criticized Jadeja for playing with a defensive approach. However, Chopra praised Jadeja for playing a fighting knock when India had their backs against the wall.

“I was seeing the narrative. There was a time when you used to get intellectual people on X, formerly Twitter. So you got a drift of what was happening. You see only trolls these days. People have trolled Ravindra Jadeja a lot, as to why you weren’t hitting when Bumrah and Siraj were playing with you,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

India were left reeling at 80-5 in the opening session when Jofra Archer dismissed Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar in quick succession.

“I will tell you something, it’s easier said than done. The pitch wasn’t easy to bat. You were 80/5 and were starting at a defeat. You were trying to salvage something from there. One way of salvaging it could have been to play shots. The same keyboard warriors would have criticized Jaddu had he gotten out while playing a shot. Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. It cannot happen like that,” he observed.

The renowned commentator said we should celebrate Ravindra Jadeja, who gave his best on the final day to keep India in the contest till the end.

“Every player has a game plan and method. You understand the pitch, show faith in your partner, and then you figure out a way. In my opinion, if you are a proper cricket follower, celebrate Jadeja. Of course, he couldn’t win the match, was left stranded at the other end when Siraj got out, but you came so close,” he said.

The fourth Test match between England and India will be played at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, from July 23 onwards.