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Team India made a surprise move to promote Ravindra Jadeja ahead of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane on Day 1 of the fourth Test against England at The Oval.
Electing to bowl first after winning the toss, England had India on the ropes at 39 for 3. Then, to the surprise of everyone, Jadeja walked into bat ahead of the usual No.5 - Indian Test vice-captain Rahane. There was a debate over whether Rahane was on a loo break. Whatever the reason, the tactic was an unexpected one.
Unfortunately for India, the move did not pay off. Jadeja hung on for a while and scored 10 off 34, featuring in a 30-run stand with skipper Virat Kohli. However, he was dismissed hanging his bat outside off stump to Chris Woakes. Later, Rahane was also dismissed for 14.
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Jadeja’s promotion: Not a bad tactic?
While Jadeja failed to justify his promotion in the batting order on Day 1 at The Oval, we analyse three reasons why the move was not such a bad one.
#1 India needed to try something different to break England’s stranglehold
Having won the toss, England’s bowlers had put India completely on the back foot. Exploiting the conditions at The Oval, they dismissed the in-form Indian opening pair of Rohit Sharma (11) and KL Rahul (17). Cheteshwar Pujara’s woes also continued as he walked back, having made just 4 off 31 balls.
At 39 for 3, India couldn’t afford to lose another wicket. Rahane has been terribly short of form and, despite all his experience, would have been under extreme pressure walking in. Had he come in and perished cheaply, it would have been game over for India and another 78 all out could have been in the offing.
India needed to try something offbeat to break England’s stranglehold. Jadeja offered them the option of a left-right combination, with Kohli at the other end. The move to promote Jadeja cannot be termed as a success. But it gave India brief relief as the left-hander held fort for 46 minutes.
#2 Jadeja had looked more assured than Rahane in the previous Tests
Apart from the tactical aspect, the Indian think-tank might have also considered the fact that Jadeja looked far more assured than Rahane and Rishabh Pant in the first two Tests. While Rahane has only one fifty to his name in the Test series, Pant has a highest score of 37.
In contrast, Jadeja registered scores of 56, 40 and 30 in the first three Tests. Even in the county game before that, he scored half-centuries in both innings. As such, the management might have felt that the left-hander would be better on confidence in comparison to Rahane and Pant.
Per se, Jadeja looked defiant out in the middle until he jabbed at a ball outside off stump. The all-rounder had a great opportunity to make a mark with a big knock and would be disappointed that he let it go.
#3 India needed to justify Jadeja’s inclusion as an all-rounder
Ravindra Jadeja’s selection over Ravichandran Ashwin for each of the four Tests has been the talking point of the India-England series. In fact, former England skipper Michael Vaughan termed the non-selection of seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as ‘madness’ and the greatest non-selection witnessed across the four Tests on English soil.
In the first three Tests, Jadeja only claimed two wickets at an average of 93. Although spinners are not expected to play a major role in England, the left-arm spinner’s numbers were still below par. The Indian team management, however, remained adamant and stuck with Jadeja ahead of Ashwin for the fourth Test as well.
The move to promote Jadeja ahead of Rahane and Pant could perhaps have been made with a motive to justify the all-rounder’s inclusion in the team ahead of Ashwin. Had the ploy worked, the team think-tank would have found it easier to answer questions related to Ashwin’s exclusion.
Of course, Jadeja’s failure with the bat has also given them a reason to play Ashwin, at least in the final Test. Despite some decent knocks, Jadeja is still averaging under 24 with the willow. But from the evidence on display so far, it would be least surprising if Jadeja turns up ahead of Ashwin in the last Test as well.
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