"A wake-up call for Ravindra Jadeja" - Sanjay Manjrekar on the left-arm spinner's bowling exploits in 1st IND vs ENG Test

Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Team India's left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was under pressure after England skipper Ben Stokes counter-attacked him on Day 1 of the first Test in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Manjrekar pointed out that Stokes' approach had an impact on Jadeja's accuracy in the first innings. He, however, seemed confident that the ace all-rounder would bounce back and come up with improved performances later in the series.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar remarked:

"Yes, he was tested. I'm sure he'll come up with better plans and better preparation for this kind of approach. Also, it's unsettled Jadeja a little bit because one of the greatest strengths of Jadeja is his accuracy as a left-arm spinner on these kind of pitches, and if you look at his pitch map, you'll see that a lot of balls have been loose balls. That is something you don't expect with Jadeja."

"It was a bit of a wake-up call for Jadeja, but considering the competitor that he is, I'm sure he'll just be more wary of this kind of approach," he added.

Manjrekar reckoned that Axar Patel did a better job compared to Ravindra Jadeja on Day 1 of the first Test. He added:

"Among the spinners, I thought Ravichandran Ashwin was good. Axar Patel (was good as well), thankfully for India, because the last time Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel played together, Axar Patel wasn't quite in the league of Jadeja. Today, I thought he bowled better than Jadeja, although Jadeja got more bowling."

Jadeja conceded 88 runs in 18 overs and picked up three wickets, while Axar Patel finished with two scalps in 13 overs. England were bundled out for 246 runs after they chose to bat first.

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"It was a typical India pitch that we've seen in the last few years" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Hyderabad surface

Sanjay Manjrekar mentioned that the pitch in Hyderabad was exactly how it was expected to be, a spin-friendly one. He reckoned that the wicket shouldn't surprise the England team as they have played in these pitches before.

Throwing light the pitch, the former cricketer said:

"It was a typical India pitch that we've seen in the last few years: a turner. It's got that same nature to it. It starts off being very dry, and you already see the top exploding on occasion. So, it's a typical Indian pitch; that shouldn't surprise England; they've seen this before."

England struggled to get going against the Indian spinners, with Ben Stokes being the only saving grace with a 70-run knock. India, on the other hand, finished at 119/1 at stumps, thanks to Yashasvi Jaiswal's unbeaten innings of 76. The hosts currently trail by 127 runs in the first inning with nine wickets in hand.