'Lag Nahin Raha Tha Ki...': Sanjay Manjrekar's Stunning Criticism Of Ravindra Jadeja Despite All-Rounder's Valiant Efforts On Day 5 Of IND vs ENG 3rd Test; Video

Ex-Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar surprisingly questioned Ravindra Jadeja for his approach on day five of the Lord's Test against England. Manjrekar felt the all-rounder was hoping against hope and played the waiting game instead of genuinely trying to win the match for India.

With India crashing 112/8 on day five in pursuit of 193, Jadeja was the only recognized batter left in the crease. Although Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj put valiant efforts, Jadeja had to be circumspect against England bowlers. In the end, the southpaw was left stranded on 61 off 181 balls and the hosts won by 22 runs.

Speaking on Star Sports, Manjrekar labelled Jasprit Bumrah as the star of the dogged 132-ball 35-run stand with Jadeja. He said:

"Writing was on the wall ki Bharat yeh match haaregi aur kaaran yeh hoga ki Jadeja jo defend kar rahe they, accha khel rahe they. Lekin lag nahin raha tha ki risk le rahe hain ya match jeetane ki koshish kar rahe hain. He was hoping against hope, waiting game khel rahe they. Star us partnership mein Bumrah they. Ek ghanta 40 minute unhone ballebaazi ki against fast bowlers, jo bouncer bhi daal rahe they. Aur kitna practice karte honge batting ke baare mein. Toh yeh jo mahaanta hai unki gendbaazi mein aur mental toughness hai, woh saaf nazar aaya."

(The writing was on the wall that India will lose but the reason might be Ravindra Jadeja, who defended quite a bit and played well. But it didn't seem like he was trying to take a risk to propel India to victory. He was hoping against hope, playing the waiting game. Jasprit Bumrah was the star of that partnership. He batted for 1 hour 40 minutes, especially against bowlers, who bowled bouncers. His greatness in bowling is there to be seen but the mental toughness was equally visible.)

Team India face stern test in Manchester

Having not won a Test in Manchester before in nine attempts, the Asian Giants face a stern challenge in a bid to level the series 2-2 ahead of the final match. Although Rishabh Pant remained under the injury scanner, a recent Sky Sports report stated that the keeper-batter is all set to play.

Jasprit Bumrah remains doubtful, having already played in two Tests. It remains to be seen if the star pacer will play in Manchester or The Oval.

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