England cricketer Moeen Ali praised veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his resilient batting but offered a candid assessment of his bowling. Jadeja stood firm on Day 5 at Lord’s with a gritty unbeaten 61 off 181 deliveries, spending over four hours at the crease to keep India’s hopes alive.
Moeen acknowledged that the 36-year-old is still landing the ball in the right areas but noted that he has not been able to produce the desired impact with the ball. So far, Jadeja has managed to pick up only three wickets across the three matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
“He just knows what he’s doing. I think he’s done it for many years. I think he’s been amazing with the bat this series, obviously. I think with the ball, he hasn’t quite got the wickets, but he does what he does. He’s very tight. He can bowl, but he’s not outstanding… I think now he’s at the peak of his batting. Bowling-wise, I think he just doesn’t have the wickets. With the tally, I think he’s bowled well, he just doesn’t have the wickets,” said Moeen to India Today.
Moeen also felt that Kuldeep Yadav deserves a chance in the upcoming Test at Manchester, but acknowledged that there may be no room for him in the playing XI. He pointed out that Washington Sundar bowled impressively, while Jadeja contributed with the bat, making it a tough call to fit Kuldeep into the side.
“I would like to see Kuldeep in the team, but I don’t know who for. Washington bowled well, Jadeja batted well. So it makes it difficult to bring Kuldeep Yadav in the side. I would like to see Kuldeep in, but I don’t think they can fit him in,” Moeen said.
India now head into the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, trailing 2-1 in the series, and will be eager to level it. Meanwhile, England will aim to seal the series with a win in the upcoming clash.
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