Manjrekar Critiques Jadeja's Pitch Play in Leeds Test

In the wake of India's five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test at Leeds, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has rallied behind the team's seamers, attributing their struggles to unhelpful conditions. However, Manjrekar was less forgiving about Ravindra Jadeja's showing, citing lost opportunities on a pitch that favored spinners on Day 5.

Speaking on 'Match Centre Live' on JioHotstar, Manjrekar remarked, "It's not fair to be overly critical of younger players like Prasidh Krishna. There are obvious areas for improvement. I am, however, going to be critical of Ravindra Jadeja. This was a final-day pitch with rough patches for him to exploit, but he didn't make the most of it."

Jadeja's performance as India's lead spinner, in the absence of Ravichandran Ashwin, drew scrutiny after he failed to capitalize on favorable conditions, ending the match with disappointing figures of 1/104 in 24 overs. On a day when England, led by Ben Duckett's stunning 149, chased down the target in 82 overs, Jadeja's efforts fell short. Now trailing 0-1 in the series, India looks ahead to the next Test with expectations riding high on Jadeja to elevate his game.

(With inputs from agencies.)