Former Australian captain Michael Clarke showered praise on Ravindra Jadeja after India suffered a 22-run loss against England at Lord’s in the third Test of the series. Jadeja scored an unbeaten knock of 61 runs off 181 balls in the run-chase of 193, but his efforts went in vain as India suffered a heartbreaking loss.
Jadeja added 30, 35 and 23 with Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj respectively, to keep India alive in the contest. After Nitish Kumar Reddy’s dismissal, India was left tottering at 112-8 on lunch but Jadeja was able to keep India in the game.
Michael Clarke said on the Beyond 23 Cricket Podcast, “India can hold their head high, particularly Jadeja… Jadeja’s batting has been phenomenal, and his entire career, he’s saved India on a number of occasions. He’s won India games on a number of occasions. And 61, I think if he had somebody just hold up that other end, didn’t get out, I think he would’ve got them home.”
This was Jadeja’s fourth consecutive fifty of the series as he has been batting at his absolute best.
“Until that last dismissal, Jadeja was doing everything he could to get India home,” he added.
On the other hand, the 2015 World Cup winning captain wants India to play Kuldeep Yadav, but he is not sure whom he can replace, as Washington Sundar delivered in the third Test. Sundar bagged four wickets in the second innings as he accounted for Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir.
Clarke concluded, “I’ve said openly, I still would like to see Kuldeep Yadav in that XI. Now, I don’t know how because Washington Sundar, he bowled beautifully, made handy runs.”
The fourth Test match between England and India will be played at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, from July 23 onwards.
