India’s five-wicket defeat in the first Test against England has sparked massive questions about the selection of the team, with all eyes being on Rabindra Jadeha. Despite bowling 47 overs in both innings, Rabindra Jadeha returned with one wicket with 172 runs. This revealed India’s threatening lack of spin options on the last day of Headingley.
The left-arm spinner was expected to take advantage of the rough patches created in the left-handed zone, but he was ineffective for most of the five-match Test Series openers against the UK. Jadeja only rejected Ben Stokes in the final session.
Greg Chapel blames all-round obsessions against Indian Headingley’s defeat
By then, however, the damage had been caused as England’s opener Ben Duckett had already taken the game from India. To make matters worse, Jasprit Bumrah took a break and went to Wicketless, leaving behind an Indian bowling attack on the crucial final day when the hosts were chasing 350 runs.
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Well, ahead of the second Test in Birmingham from July 2nd, Australian legendary cricketer Greg Chapel has denounced his obsession with India’s all-rounders. The former Indian head coach warned that the habit of choosing a bowler who can hit a little is to backfire on the English terms.
Ravindra Jadeja is not the frontline spinner of English terms: Greg Chappell
Chappell emphasizes that if Ravindra Jadeja is on the team primarily for his batting, he should play as a support spinner rather than a lead. He believes India must stop compromising bowling firepower due to batting depth and is an expert to do the job if he wants to continue living in the Test series instead.
Greg Chappell wrote in his column in ESPNcricinfo: “Jadeja is not a frontline spinner in English terms. If he is considered sufficient for batting, he could become a support spinner. Otherwise, he needs to be rethinked.
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Greg Chappell hits India’s “insurance” strategy and encourages bold choice calls
Additionally, the former Indian coach criticized the team’s approach of choosing part-time bowlers just to strengthen their batting. Chapel said this “insurance” policy is useless, especially if the team needs 20 wickets to win a Test match in the UK.
The Australian great pointed out the choice of Chardur Thakur in the first test. There, he only bowled 16 overs in total, picking two wickets in one inning. He suggests that India pick the top six batters that he can run, and bowling offenses need to be purely capable, not batting depth.
Are Indian selectors under pressure now?
The Chapel explained: “I disagree that you should choose a bowl as insurance as a bowl collapsed. The top six must be trusted to provide execution.
He also urged the national selectors to show the courage to choose bold combinations to take risks on the field. Chapel said, “Selectors are currently under pressure. If batsmen and bowlers have to prepare to take risks to get a run and take a wicket, they too need the courage to make bold decisions.”