Former India player Deep Dasgupta suggests it's time to look beyond Ravindra Jadeja in Test cricket

India's Ravindra Jadeja (ANI Photo)

Ravindra Jadeja has been a mainstay of India’s Test team for more than a decade, but former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta believes the time has come for the team to start looking beyond the veteran all-rounder in the longest format. Jadeja aged 37, finished India’s recent two-Test tour of Sri Lanka with eight wickets across four innings. However, Dasgupta felt the Indian spin attack failed to consistently exert pressure on the hosts, particularly on surfaces where the visitors would have expected their spinners to play a major role. The former India player singled out the second Test in Colombo, where Sri Lanka were forced to follow on but managed to fight back strongly. Sonal Dinusha’s century helped the hosts frustrate India and build a substantial lead before the match eventually ended in a draw.

'Jadeja has been a great servant, but it’s done now'

While Jadeja picked up three wickets in Sri Lanka’s second innings, Dasgupta felt India needed more penetration from their experienced spinners. “Apart from Manav, our spinners didn’t look as lethal as we expected. I’m not saying there is no ability. On such pitches, Jadeja has always been very destructive and lethal. I thought he would be crucial on the fifth day. He has been a great servant, but it’s done now. He was not as accurate as he is. His action is very shoulder-dominant,” Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel.

Dasgupta flags no-ball issues

The Sri Lanka series also highlighted an issue with India’s bowling discipline, with the spinners repeatedly overstepping. Saransh Jain, making his Test debut in Colombo, bowled four no-balls, while Jadeja overstepped once. Dasgupta believes such problems need to be addressed during training rather than waiting for them to surface in matches. “If you are not careful in the nets, it will happen. Even when I was playing, a lot of them would bowl from ahead and say it would not happen in the match, but they would repeat the same thing in the match. You need to avoid this in the nets. This issue is not new with Jadeja; it has only gotten worse,” he added.

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India won the two-match series 1-0, with victory by 165 runs in the opening Test in Galle before the second Test in Colombo ended in a draw. India’s next Test assignments will come with a tour of New Zealand scheduled for November before Australia travel to India for a five match Test series beginning in January 2027.

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