Ravindra Jadeja has had issues with spin lately. Image Credits: AFP
Overall, Ravindra Jadeja has been one of India’s better Test batters for several years now. He has stood up for his team in the most precarious situations, scored those hard runs, and often shown better technique than many of the team’s main batters. At this stage, he effectively plays as a batting all-rounder in the Test side.
However, one area where Jadeja has shown some vulnerability in the last couple of years is against spin. India have indeed played on some of the most spin-friendly pitches, particularly at home, but the conditions are not the only reason for his struggles. His dismissals against spin have shown recurring patterns.
Ravindra Jadeja’s spin issues
Ravindra Jadeja's spin numbers since 2023
Ravindra Jadeja’s struggles against spin can actually be traced back to 2023. He averaged just 25 against slow bowlers that year and was dismissed six times. More tellingly, 80.2% of the deliveries he faced were dots, suggesting he was often stuck in his crease with limited scoring options.
Those issues persisted as India continued to play on spin-friendly pitches. Jadeja’s average improved to 31 in 2024, but the spinners dismissed him 12 times. An overseas tour of England and a relatively modest West Indies attack at home helped him recover somewhat, but his problems resurfaced when South Africa toured India. Simon Harmer dismissed him twice in the series, while Keshav Maharaj got him once.
The pattern has continued on the current tour of Sri Lanka. Jadeja was again undone by Keshara Nuwantha in the first innings in Galle, another example of how quickly his problems can surface when the pitch offers something to spin.
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In Asia, Jadeja averages 32.84 against spin in Tests since 2023, with a dismissal every 65.15 deliveries. Those numbers would likely have looked even worse if the West Indies had a stronger spin attack when they toured India last year. Outside Asia, however, his average shoots up to 148, with only two dismissals.
The technique behind his struggles
Most of Ravindra Jadeja’s problems have come against off-spin, against which he has been dismissed 17 times and averages 31.70. A major part of the issue is his vulnerability to deliveries that do not turn. Jadeja can sometimes play for the ball to turn, only for it to go straight with the angle or hold its line. By then, he is already committed to the wrong line and ends up playing inside it.
He also has a traditional method of defending with the pad behind the bat. That can take away the bat-pad dismissal around the crease and allows him to intercept the ball late, but it also leaves him vulnerable to LBWs. His latest dismissal in Galle was a good example.
Keshara Nuwantha had already tried a couple of fuller, flatter deliveries against Jadeja before the wicket ball. He then darted one in that went with the arm and pinned Jadeja in front. A similar dismissal came against South Africa in Kolkata last year.
Simon Harmer deliberately fired in an arm ball that skidded off the surface. Jadeja came forward with the bat behind his pad, but the ball held its line instead of turning away, leaving him playing down the wrong line. He was trapped LBW by a straight ball on a turning pitch.
It is, therefore, no surprise that nine of Jadeja’s dismissals since 2023 have come via LBW. Most have come on deliveries on the fuller side of good lengths, particularly those landing shorter than five metres from the batter. His old-school methods have increasingly been exposed, and the difficult home pitches India have played on only exacerbate the problem.
There could also be a mechanical explanation for this regression. Ravindra Jadeja has had to make mild adjustments to deal with pace and seam in SENA conditions, and one possibility is that these changes have affected his game against spin. By keeping his hands low and tucked tightly against his ribs, he can stay compact against the moving ball. But against spin, that compactness can work against him.
When his hands remain tucked close to his body through the stride, the bat tends to come down directly behind the front pad. That leaves very little margin for error when the ball does not turn as expected. His wrists can become locked in a tight position, leaving him little time or room to adjust the bat at the last moment.
Recent work and the need for more ahead of a home BGT
Ravindra Jadeja's sweep shots at home and in Sri Lanka
While Ravindra Jadeja’s problems against spin have persisted, particularly in spin-friendly conditions, he has made some attempts to address them. After repeated dismissals and growing problems, he began using the sweep more regularly from the South Africa series onwards.
From 2023 until the South Africa series, Jadeja played the sweep on just 2.37% of the balls he faced, with a false-shot percentage of 42.50. Even in spin-friendly home conditions, he rarely turned to it. During the same period, he played just 1.49% sweep shots against spin at home.
That changed from the South Africa series. Since then, Jadeja has played the sweep on 14.49% of deliveries against spin, striking at 135. He continued to use it regularly in the practice game against Sri Lanka XI, playing sweep shots on 14.11% of the balls he faced against spin.
That suggests Jadeja recognises his issue and is willing to work on it. His technique can still let him down, and he has continued to get out in similar ways, but the willingness to add another scoring option at this stage of his career is encouraging. Not many Indian batters in the current setup have shown the same willingness to use the sweep consistently against spin.
There is still plenty of room for improvement, particularly with India set to host Australia in a five-match Test series early next year. Spin is likely to play a major role throughout the series, especially if India once again prepare pitches that favour their own slow bowlers. Jadeja’s batting will be important in those conditions, given how many of India’s current batters have shown vulnerabilities against spin.
He will also need to find better answers against off-spin, with Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy likely to pose a significant threat. Jadeja’s batting has evolved considerably over the years, and his willingness to keep adapting is the biggest reason he has become such a successful Test batter. His success in pace-friendly conditions and against the moving ball is no accident.
The upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy could therefore become a defining series of his career. As the side’s most senior player, much will depend on how effectively he approaches batting in conditions that should suit him. India have struggled against quality opposition at home in recent times, and if they are to beat Australia, Jadeja will need to produce the same fluency with the bat that he has shown overseas.
He has little left to prove. But with his career entering its final few years, a strong home BGT could still become one of the most significant chapters of his Test career.
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