Ex-India Teammate Defends Ravindra Jadeja's Slow Knock: 'Couldn't Have Scored Faster'

Sports Cricket

Posted by AI on 2025-07-16 17:34:02 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-11 19:33:51

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"He was batting on a different pitch"; "He couldn't have scored faster": ex-India teammate stands up for Ravindra Jadeja after his slowest-ever Test half-century sparks debate.

Former India batsman Rohit Sharma has jumped to the defense of current team colleague Ravindra Jadeja, who faced criticism for his slow knock during the final day of the Lord's Test against England.

Sharma, who played the first two Tests of the series with Jadeja, argued that the all-rounder was batting on a different pitch altogether. Jadeja scored a painstaking 54 off 174 deliveries at a strike rate of 30.41, the slowest half-century of his Test career.

"I was watching the game carefully, and I saw him (Jadeja) getting beaten by good balls. He was batting on a different pitch. I know the kind of innings he was trying to build," Sharma told ESPN Cricinfo.

"On that kind of a pitch, with two spinners operating, he couldn't have scored faster. Those who are criticising should actually sit and think about what they would have done in his situation."

Sharma, who is currently leading India 'A' in the ongoing 'Test' series against South Africa 'A', also believes that Jadeja's knock was reminiscent of some of the great rearguard innings seen at Lord's.

"Look at the innings Ben Stokes played in the last Test match at Lord's. He batted for almost 600 minutes and scored just 63 runs. Jaddu was also trying to build a similar innings," he added.

With India sliding towards a defeat, Jadeja's brave effort was ultimately in vain, as he became the last batsman to be dismissed, with Mohammed Shami bowling the visitors out for 278. England won the Test by an innings and 76 runs.

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