"As if they were playing for a draw" - Former India batter questions Ravindra Jadeja's approach on Day 5 of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar questioned Ravindra Jadeja's slow approach with the willow on Day 5 of the Lord's Test against England. While giving credit to the all-rounder for his defiance, Manjrekar opined that he did not put enough pressure on the opposition and batted as if India were playing for a draw.

England beat India by 22 runs in the closely contested third Test at Lord's, which concluded on Monday, July 14. Chasing 193, India were all out for 170 as Jadeja was stranded on a valiant 61* off 181 balls, a knock which featured four fours and a six. At one stage, India were 82-7, but Jadeja led a fightback for the visitors with some help from the lower order.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar raised questions over the pace of Jadeja's knock as well as India's overall approach in the chase. He commented:

"Jadeja was defending really well, but it must be remembered that India were not playing for a draw. So, it seems like England were not put under pressure. If there was someone like Ben Stokes, who could take chances in between defending, then England team may have been under pressure and that could have forced them to commit some mistakes. "Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja batted together for a long time, but only added 30 runs. It was not easy, but India's mindset during the Test match was as if they were playing for a draw. The waiting game went on too long," the 60-year-old added.

After India lost seven wickets for 82 runs in their second innings, Jadeja added 30 runs for the eighth wicket with Nitish Kumar Reddy (13). The all-rounder also added 35 for the ninth wicket with Jasprit Bumrah (5) and featured in a 23-run stand for the last wicket with Mohammed Siraj (4). The match ended when Siraj was bowled by Shoaib Bashir in unlucky fashion.

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Ravindra Jadeja has scored half-centuries in his last four innings

While India failed to get past the finish line at Lord's on Monday, all-rounder Jadeja continued his impressive form with the willow. His knock of 61* in the second innings at Lord's was his fourth consecutive half-century in the series.

The 36-year-old had contributed 72 in the first innings of the Lord's Test. Before that, he had registered scores of 89 & 69* in Birmingham. In six innings in the Test series, the southpaw has totaled 327 runs at an average of 109.

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Edited by Renin Wilben Albert