Why Ravindra Jadeja’s 61 At Lord’s Is Being Called Both Heroic And Hesitant In Team India’s Narrow Defeat
In one of the most gripping Test matches in recent memory, India fell short by just 22 runs at Lord’s, failing to chase down 193 against England. At the heart of this high-octane, emotionally charged fifth day was Ravindra Jadeja — unbeaten on 61 off 181 balls. A knock that has since ignited a debate: Was it a heroic stand or a chance missed?
Jadeja’s Grit: Defying the Inevitable
Reduced to 82 for 7 and later 112 for 8, India’s hopes of a Lord’s miracle rested on Jadeja’s shoulders. With only Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for company, Jadeja played a classic rear-guard knock — calm under pressure, precise with his shot selection, and relentless in his pursuit of taking the match deep.
He batted nearly three sessions with the tail, stitching partnerships worth 58 runs that kept England waiting until the final session. His control, temperament, and focus were beyond reproach, especially when facing Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer bowling with venom.
From a purely statistical standpoint, Jadeja’s 61 not out was monumental. The all-rounder faced more deliveries than any Indian batter in the innings and was the only one to last from the top seven. When his teammates crumbled under pressure, Jadeja stood tall.
Could Jadeja Have Taken More Risks?
That is the question now haunting India’s defeat. Critics and legends alike, including Anil Kumble, questioned whether Jadeja should’ve shifted gears earlier — particularly against Chris Woakes, Joe Root, and Shoaib Bashir, who weren’t as threatening as England’s front-line pacers.
“He could have taken a few more calculated risks,” Kumble observed, suggesting Jadeja might have trusted his skill more to farm strike and look for boundaries, especially once India got within 30 runs of the target.
With 107 balls going without a boundary between the 48th and 65th over, the momentum slowly shifted back to England. Was Jadeja too cautious? Should he have shielded Siraj from facing a full Bashir over? These are tough but fair questions.
The Art of Batting With the Tail
Sunil Gavaskar, however, defended Jadeja’s approach, stating it was dictated by the match situation and the fragile batting lineup at the other end.
“When you’re batting with Nos. 10 and 11, you can’t just start swinging. One wrong shot and it’s over. Jadeja played with a cool head,” Gavaskar told India Today. The all-rounder farmed the strike admirably, rotated the strike when possible, and absorbed England’s relentless pressure.
Captain Shubman Gill, too, emphasized that the team was targeting the second new ball and believed that pushing the game deeper was their best shot. “If we had 12-15 runs left with the new ball due, anything could’ve happened,” he said.
What Went Wrong for India Then?
India didn’t lose this Test because of Jadeja’s knock. They lost it due to a reckless top-order collapse, conceding 63 extras across both innings, and failing to capitalize on a manageable fourth-innings chase.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Karun Nair threw away their wickets on Day 4 evening. India lost 6 wickets for 77 runs between stumps on Day 4 and the first drinks break on Day 5 — a collapse that proved fatal. Comparisons to past disasters, like Bridgetown 1997 or Mumbai 2024, are now inevitable.
Former England batter Jonathan Trott summed it up perfectly: “Other Indian batters will be asking themselves, why couldn’t I have done what Jadeja did?”
