"It's not that the player isn't aware of the criticism" - Irfan Pathan lauds Ravindra Jadeja's knock in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former India player Irfan Pathan has lauded Ravindra Jadeja for scoring a crucial half-century in the second Test against England. He noted that the spin-bowling all-rounder would have been aware of the criticism he received for his failure to utilize the rough effectively on the final day of the previous Test.

Jadeja scored 89 runs off 137 deliveries as India were bowled out for 587 in their first innings in Birmingham. England were 77/3 at Stumps on Day 2 (Thursday, July 3), trailing the visitors by 510 runs.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Pathan praised Jadeja for overcoming the pressure he would have felt due to his below-par performance with the ball in the final innings of the first Test.

"The shots he played off the back foot, especially the fours he hit between cover and mid-off, were difficult shots. You can lose your wicket playing those shots if the ball is slightly quicker or bounces more. However, he was trying to get on top of the ball. He couldn't do that when he got out because the ball was more towards the body. However, he didn't have any trouble whenever he got even slight width," the former India all-rounder said.

"He just got an outside edge yesterday (Wednesday), when a four went between gully and slip, but the control he showed apart from that, and the knock he played was necessary for Ravindra Jadeja. Many people, including me, had spoken about his bowling on the fifth day, and it's not that the player isn't aware of the criticism. Both you and the team were under pressure, and you played a splendid knock," he added.

Ravindra Jadeja registered figures of 1/104 in 24 overs in England's second innings of the first Test in Leeds. The hosts chased down a 371-run target with five wickets to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

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"It was a crucial knock from this match and the entire series' context" - Ajay Jadeja on Ravindra Jadeja's innings in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Ravindra Jadeja struck 10 fours and a six during his 89-run knock. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India opener Ajay Jadeja noted that Ravindra Jadeja's knock was hugely significant, highlighting that lower-order batting was the visitors' area of concern heading into the second Test.

"It was a crucial knock from this match and the entire series' context because this was the stage due to which you made three changes after the first Test. Back-to-back wickets had fallen when he came in. When there are troubled thoughts within a team, and you go and do that at the same stage, as a team, you start feeling that you have improved, as the previous mistake didn't happen this time," he said.

While acknowledging that the all-rounder would be disappointed to fall 11 short of a century, the cricketer-turned-commentator added that the double-century partnership between him and Shubman Gill (269 off 387) would have changed the dressing room's atmosphere.

"This knock was very important because of that. He scored 89, and will be disappointed as he scored a century here last time, but that's just a number. He has scored runs for his bowling as well. The 200-run partnership came at a position where the team was worried for seven days before the match. This will totally change the feeling in the dressing room," Ajay Jadeja observed.

Ravindra Jadeja joined Shubman Gill in the middle when India were reduced to 211/5. The duo added 203 runs for the sixth wicket before Gill and Washington Sundar (42 off 103) stitched together a 144-run seventh-wicket partnership to take the visitors to a mammoth total.