“He can bowl, but he’s not outstanding” - KKR spinner’s blunt criticism of Ravindra Jadeja after ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali hailed Ravindra Jadeja for his defiant fourth-innings knock against England at Lord's but criticized his performances with the ball in the series. With the series tied at 1-1, India and England went toe-to-toe in the third Test at the home of cricket.

However, chasing 193 for victory, the Indian batting folded to 71/5 and later 112/8 before Jadeja sparked hope with his 61* off 181 deliveries. The 36-year-old displayed incredible resilience with the final two batters as India came close to pulling off a miracle before falling short by 22 runs.

Despite his phenomenal batting in the series, with four consecutive half-centuries and counting, Jadeja has been silent with the ball. He has picked up only three wickets in six innings at a woeful average of almost 114.

Talking about the veteran all-rounder during a media interaction, Moeen said (via India Today):

"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."

Moeen Ali and Jadeja were teammates at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) when the former was part of the franchise from 2021 to 2024.

"I would like to see Kuldeep in the team" - Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali believes left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav should be part of the Indian XI, but admitted that dropping either Jadeja or Washington Sundar for him would be nearly impossible. With India prioritizing batting depth, Kuldeep has warmed the benches in all three Tests thus far in the series.

Despite a stellar Test average of 22.16 with 56 wickets, the 30-year-old has played only 13 red-ball games for India since his debut in 2017.

"I would like to see Kuldeep in the team, but I don't know who for. Washington's 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," said Moeen Ali (via the aforementioned source).

Trailing 1-2 in the best-of-five affair, India are in near must-win territory heading into the fourth Test at Manchester, starting July 23.