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After India's defeat against New Zealand in the World Test Championship finals in Southampton, there has been a lot of criticism for selecting Ravindra Jadeja as the second spinner ahead of a pacer in seaming English conditions. For the upcoming five Match Test Series against England, India are expected to make some changes to their playing XI. Jadeja is one such player whose place in the playing XI is in doubt, as India might opt for an extra pacer or an extra batsman in place of Jadeja.
However, because of his allround ability Jadeja is a very difficult player to leave out. He can be a match winner both with the bat and the ball, even in conditions which are not favorable to his kind of bowling.
In this article we try and analyze why Jadeja should retain his place in the playing XI in the upcoming test series against England.
Ravindra Jadeja Can Come In Handy With the Ball and Bat in Different Ways
Ravindra Jadeja has been a prolific wicket taker and a consistent lower order batsman for India in test matches. Although the majority of his success with the ball has come in India, in overseas conditions he has also improved a lot as a bowler in the last three to four years.
1) As a Partnership Breaker
Jadeja is a very consistent bowler who hardly gives any loose deliveries to hit. As a result he is able to build up pressure on any batsman by restricting run scoring and forcing him to take undue risk and give his wicket away. Jadeja is often successful in breaking big partnerships and bringing his team back into the contest.
2) Lethal Against Right-Handed Batsmen
Another important aspect of Jadeja's bowling is his ability to get right handed batsmen bowled or lbw very easily. He is a very difficult bowler to handle for any right-handed batsman, as he bowls wicket to wicket and does not spin much. As a result, if any right-hander misses his delivery or gets hit on the pad, then more often than not, he is a gonner.
3)Ability to clean up the tail quickly
Ravindra Jadeja's bowling style also makes him a very successful bowler against the tailenders as he does not allow them to get away and often gets them bowled or lbw. English tailenders have been a cause of pain for India in the past and hence Jadeja's presence can help the Indian bowling lineup perform better against the English tail.
4)Consistency with the bat and ability to score Quick Runs
Ravindra Jadeja has been in excellent batting form over the last two years, scoring at an average of 50, which is just awesome for somebody who bats in the lower middle order, at number seven or eight. His batting style is ideally suited for that position, as he has the ability to score quick runs, which is often required, when the tailenders come in. Thus replacing him with a specialist middle order batsman won't make much of a difference, in terms of strengthening the batting order. If he is replaced by a pacer like Shardul, who can bat a bit, then the lower middle order batting will be appreciably weakened.
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