Jayant Yadav is not suited for Test cricket, claims Erapalli Prasanna

What’s the story?

Former Indian spinner Erapalli Prasanna has made a rather strong call regarding Jayant Yadav’s potential at the Test level. The iconic cricketer believes that the 26-year-old’s bowling is not suited to the traditional format of the game.

A key aspect of a Test quality bowler lies in the ability to deliver long spells on a regular basis. According to Prasanna, Jayant’s bowling style is relevant only for the two limited-overs formats.

“If you really ask me (about) Jayant Yadav, I do not think, he will be able to bowl long spells at all. He is a useful batsman for T20 or one-day matches, and he can bowl good four overs in these two formats. He has already proved that in the longer version of the game, he is not a strike bowler. He is not meant to be strike bowler,” claimed Prasanna.

In case you didn’t know

Jayant made his international debut in the fifth ODI against New Zealand on a raging turner at Vizag and promptly picked up his maiden scalp. Interestingly, he was picked for the national team on the back of consistent performances in the domestic first-class circuit (rather than List-A or T20 games). Even his bowling action seems to be quite simple and unlike those seen from the white-ball specialists.

Following his inaugural ODI, he was included in India’s Test squad for the 5-match home series against England. He got the opportunity to make his Test debut in Vizag as well when leg-spinner Amit Mishra struggled on a flat surface in the opening match in Rajkot.

Jayant made an instant impression in all three departments of the game. His smart piece of fielding to effect Haseeb Hameed's run-out in the first-innings was sandwiched by a handy batting efforts and noteworthy bowling spells.

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From 3 matches in the series, he picked up 9 wickets an average of 29.55 and scored 221 runs at an average of 73.66. He registered his maiden Test century in Mumbai and played his part in India’s 4-0 series triumph.

Heart of the matter

Prasanna was renowned for his ability to deceive batsmen in flight and played a prominent role in several of India’s famous victories during his heydeys. Some of his team-mates swore that they could hear the ball fizz through the air whenever he came into the attack.

However, India’s current spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja managed to extract more than effusive praise from him. Having been an integral part of the famous spin quartet of the 60s and the 70s, the 76-year old had a piece of advice for the Tamil Nadu spinner.

He felt, “There is no doubt that Ashwin is the best striker bowler we have. He is the best spinner in the world now. Unless and until he makes the batsmen step out and drive, it will be a little difficult for him. We also largely need to direct our success to Ravindra Jadeja because he kept one end tight (against England). These two have largely contributed to our series win against England.”

Sportskeeda’s take

Jayant Yadav was one of India’s standout performers in the series against England and this statement from one of India’s greats comes as a huge surprise.