'Left with the tail, Jadeja did what many specialist batters do in that situation: he shielded the tail, farmed the strike, and played conservatively. On the surface, it was a disciplined innings. But was it the right one?'
Former Australia captain Greg Chappell said that the Indian management should have sent a clear message to Ravindra Jadeja to hit boundaries and go for the win instead of looking to play out time, during the third Test against England at Lord's.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, along with tail-enders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj batted their hearts out, but fell marginally short by 22 runs in pursuit of the 193-run target on the final day.
For three hours, Jadeja played out 22 overs with Jasprit Bumrah on the field and added 35 runs. He spent the next 13.2 overs with Siraj before the latter's unfortunate dismissal as the ball spun onto the stumps after he played a defensive block off spinner Shoaib Bashir.
Throughout India's late, stubborn act, Jadeja shielded the tail-enders but refused to take a chance and hit boundaries. Jadeja finished unbeaten on 61 from 181 balls, hitting four fours and a six, while none of the other Indian batters managed to get past 40 in the second innings as they were bowled out for 170 in 74.5 overs.
"The Lord's Test also provided a telling moment with the way Jadeja was managed late in the match. Left with the tail, Jadeja did what many specialist batters do in that situation: he shielded the tail, farmed the strike, and played conservatively. On the surface, it was a disciplined innings. But was it the right one?" Chappell said in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
"The truth is, Jadeja was the only recognised batter left. If India were to chase down the target, he had to take calculated risks. His job wasn't to leave balls and collect singles -- it was to win the match. That clarity should have come from the dressing room, from the captain. He needed to be told directly: 'You are the man who has to get this done. The tail's job is to hang in there with you, but you must go for the win'," he added.
The former India head coach cited Gill's counterpart, England skipper Ben Stokes, whose fabled 135 not out at Headingley in 2019 steered his team to a memorable one-wicket win over arch-rival Australia in a similar situation.
"We saw exactly that from England's Ben Stokes against Australia in Leeds in 2019. In a similar situation, he backed himself and produced one of the best innings of the past 50 years. Importantly, Stokes played that innings knowing that, succeed or fail, his team and leadership would have his back. That's the mindset that needs to be fostered in any great team," he added.
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