'A wake-up call for him'- Sanjay Manjrekar on star spinner's performance in 1st IND vs ENG Test

At the commencement of Day 2 in the 1st Test of the five-match series, India trailed England by 87 runs, with a score of 159/3 in response to England's 246. Yashasvi Jaiswal's 80 and Shubman Gill's 23 contributed, but England's Tom Hartley and Joe Root made notable breakthroughs taking the crucial wickets. However, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling partnership was one of the best highlights of the Day 1. The veteran stars created history in Hyderabad.

3 things you need to know 

• India vs England is currently underway 
• England made 246 in their 1st innings 
• India looks to maintain momentum on ‌Day 2 

Also Read: Yashasvi Jaiswal's dominance rocks ENG, earns praise from Atherton

Ravindra Jadeja failed to impress Sanjay Manjrekar on Day 1 

Sanjay Manjrekar said that India's left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was under pressure on the first day of the first Test in Hyderabad, especially from England captain Ben Stokes, who fiercely countered his bowling.

Manjrekar emphasised how Jadeja's accuracy and composure appeared to be impacted by Stokes' aggressive strategies in the first innings. In spite of this, Manjrekar was upbeat about Jadeja's potential, saying he was sure the veteran all-rounder would bounce back and put up better performances as the series went on.

During an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar said:

"Yes, he was tested. I'm sure he'll come up with better plans and better preparation for this kind of approach. Also, it's unsettled Jadeja a little bit because one of the greatest strengths of Jadeja is his accuracy as a left-arm spinner on these kind of pitches, and if you look at his pitch map, you'll see that a lot of balls have been loose balls. That is something you don't expect with Jadeja."

"It was a bit of a wake-up call for Jadeja, but considering the competitor that he is, I'm sure he'll just be more wary of this kind of approach," he added.

Manjrekar felt that on the first day of the first Test, Axar Patel did better than Ravindra Jadeja. He continued, saying:

“Among the spinners, I thought Ravichandran Ashwin was good. Axar Patel (was good as well), thankfully for India, because the last time Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel played together, Axar Patel wasn't quite in the league of Jadeja. Today, I thought he bowled better than Jadeja, although Jadeja got more bowling.”

In his 18-over performance, Jadeja gave up 88 runs while taking three wickets, while Axar Patel took two in his 13-over effort. England chose to bat first, but in spite of their best efforts, they were bowled out for 246 runs.

Also Read: ICC Awards 2023: From Kohli to Cummins, Check out full list of winners

After winning the toss, England chose to bat first in the first-ever Test match played in Hyderabad. Their innings was cut short, though, as they were out after 246 runs in 64.3 overs. With three wickets for 68 runs, Ravichandran Ashwin demonstrated his bowling brilliance; Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with figures of 3/88. Both pacer Jasprit Bumrah and left-arm spinner Axar Patel contributed significantly, taking two wickets apiece to limit the English batting order.