Under the SKanner: Ravindra Jadeja
Once a troll material and now the World No.1 Test bowler, Ravindra Jadeja’s journey in international cricket has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. In a relatively short career, he has seen all the lows and highs already.
Initially, when he burst onto the scene, he was just a young spinner and an unknown commodity. He wasn't too effective at the start and used to get hammered by the batsmen. Despite the failures, the team management somehow refused to drop the left-arm spinner.
The fans gave him a nickname "Sir" as he was trolled for retaining his place despite continuous below-par performances. But the then skipper MS Dhoni knew there was something special about the spinner and he was adamant on investing in him.
And boy he did repay the faith of Dhoni! Jadeja took giant strides, especially in the past four years and earned his place in the side. He became a regular feature in all 3 formats of the game.
In the recently concluded home season of Test cricket, the lefty raised his game a few notches and bagged heaps of wickets that made him the No.1 bowler in ICC Test bowlers' rankings.
Here we try and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the left-arm spinner.
Strengths
#1 Pace variations
Jadeja is not a big turner of the ball. Very rarely would you see him turning the ball miles unless, of course, it’s a rank turner. His biggest strength lies in the pace variations. He doesn’t have different types of deliveries that turn, like his partner Ravichandran Ashwin.
The spinners generally believe the ideal pace to bowl is in the mid-80s but Jadeja’s natural speed is above 90 kph. He varies his speeds between 90 to 100 a lot and at times, mixes it up by bowling below 90.
The Saurashtra cricketer doesn't allow the batsmen to settle to one pace which is why he is so effective, especially in the longest format of the game.
#2 Attacks the stumps
Whether it’s a left-hander or a right-hander, Jadeja, more often than not, targets the stumps. He generally bowls from around the wicket to a right-hander and over the wicket to a left-hander and always focusses on hitting the stumps.
His accuracy is what makes him a difficult bowler to score runs off. He makes the batsmen play at all times and that’s why he gets so many dismissals as bowled and LBWs.
#3 Arm Ball
If the pitch offers little assistance to the spinners, that is when Jadeja is at his best. With a barrage of turning balls, he quietly slips in the arm ball. It’s a pacy delivery bowled close to 100 kph that doesn’t turn.
The batsman plays for the turn and misses it altogether and the ball cannons into the stumps.
#4 Rushes through the overs
The 28-year-old has a very short run up. He starts from just behind the umpire and in just a couple of strides, delivers the ball, pretty similar to what Shane Warne used to do. There is very little time that he takes between two consecutive balls.
He finishes an over inside of two minutes and at times, just takes 90 seconds to bowl six deliveries. Without even realising, he would bowl 6-7 overs without going for too many and that’s how pressure on the batsmen creeps up.
#5 Ability to bowl long spells
Because he finishes his overs pretty quickly, he can bowl long spells without too much fuss. In the recent home season, there were multiple occasions where Jadeja held one end up and kept the scoring in check that aided other bowlers to pick up wickets.
If there is help from the surface, it’s very difficult for the captain to snatch the ball from his hands. Especially in the last innings of a Test match with rough patches around, he proves to be even more lethal than Ashwin.
Weaknesses
#1 Not suitable at the death
When it comes to limited overs cricket, Jadeja’s armoury is limited to bowling in the middle phase of an innings. Very rarely he is asked to bowl during the slog overs. In an ODI, he usually finishes his spells before the 40th over.
He is not preferred at the death because the stump line that is effective during the middle stages, becomes a hitting line for the batsmen. The batsmen can line him up and launch the ball over the ropes.
His partner Ashwin is often seen bowling during the end because he brings in those variations, including the carom ball and the leg-spinner, that don't allow the batsmen to free themselves that often.
#2 Less effective on flat tracks
There is no denying the fact that most of Jadeja’s top performances have come playing at home. If there is turn in the pitch, he is one of the first picks in the XI but if the conditions don’t offer much, he becomes a one-dimensional bowler.
Bowling in overseas conditions hasn’t been fruitful for him. He has bagged 142 wickets so far in 30 Tests but out of those, only 21 came from eight overseas Test matches. His average is 19.88 at home but it rises to 41.81 in foreign conditions.