Should Jadeja play as a specialist #3 for the rest of his career?

[Gollum]

Since he is a guaranteed pick in the XI, at least for this WTC cycle, maybe the next one as well. How best to utilize him?

 

His bowling has lost bite, outside SC he will struggle to make any impact, and even in India his effectiveness is only reducing with age. If he has to play, treat him like a specialist batsman (like Pak did with Imran from circa 1987-88), who can chip in as a 5th or 6th bowler depending on conditions. 

 

As batsman, he shares many similarities with Imran (and Shastri too !!!!), limited, very little talent but maximized their abilities. Solid defence, judgement of off stump, good temperament, prepared to grind it out for long periods of time.....but obvious limitations like can't bat at high tempo or with the tail. He isn't going to change his statpadding ways at this age, but that selfishness can be put to better use at the top of the order where we want our #3 to stay at the crease, absorb pressure from fresh bowlers, reduce shine on the ball.Also being a LHB has its advantages, even the best pacers on the planet have an obvious weakness against LHBs. I also feel he is more comfortable against pace than spin, especially at the start of his innings. 

 

Nair is already 33, not much upside. Sai can do the role, maybe even Jurel or Sarfu....but better to ease their way there after getting some scores at #5 or #6, that is generally the trajectory of all great batsmen, even Sachin, Smith, Root, Kohli, Poning, Sanga etc. played their initial games at #5 or #6. Let Jadeja oversee the #3 position in this transition phase and by the time he retires, a Sai or Jurel with 1000 test runs and 2-3 100s can fill that spot. 

 

In the short term, playing him at #3 opens up a spot for us where we can either fit in a pure batsman or Kuldeep. 

Edited July 7, 2025 by Gollum

[Sooda]

No. He does have good judgement outside off. But that isn't enough. He needs to be able to score. Especially in this day and age and if pitches are flat . He can either block or slog there is nothing in between and that isn't good enough for a top order bat

[Number]

Not sure if serious.

He is a strokeless wonder. You can't have such batsman at 3, it will be a disgrace to that position. 

 

Karun experiment is not working and I also think Easwaran is way past his prime.

Sai also doesn't inspire much confidence but if he clicks we have someone who can serve us for long.

Give him this full series.

[lemsip]

No. Lacks the  technique needed to negotiate the new ball and fresh bowlers that a number 3 batsman needs. Another middle order batsman Karun Nair got exposed in the brief time he spent at number 3 in this match as his technical flaws became very evident once promoted.

Jadeja needs to transition out of the team and a younger person with a longer runway has to step in whether Sai Kishore or someone else who can do a similar job. The longer this is delayed the more it will backfire in the long run.

[Gollum]

We were lucky to have Dravid and Pujara as our #3 for most of this millennium. But shocking returns post Pujara's sharp decline (will take Gabba as the cutoff since that was the last time Pujara showed his greatness). Even Gill struggled at that spot, Vihari in his limited opportunities, #3 this series hasn't made runs despite flat conditions and no Anderson/Broad.

 

Jadeja can't do worse !!!!! Also due to his secondary skill, frees up a spot in the middle order.....or getting in an extra pure bowler. 

 

Post 20-21 BGT (though Pujara's decline had set in earlier, from 2019 home series against RSA):

 

 

Edited July 7, 2025 by Gollum

[Gollum]

15 minutes ago, Sooda said:

No. He does have good judgement outside off. But that isn't enough. He needs to be able to score. Especially in this day and age and if pitches are flat . He can either block or slog there is nothing in between and that isn't good enough for a top order bat

Pujara, Dravid with their low 40s SR did well. We have free flowing Jaiswal at the top, and Gill, Pant who follow #3 are strokeplayers. 

 

Labu SR 50, Kane SR 51. Not saying Jaddu is anywhere close to those guys but even SENA teams are ok with low SR #3. 

Edited July 7, 2025 by Gollum

[Gollum]

8 minutes ago, Number said:

Not sure if serious.

He is a strokeless wonder. You can't have such batsman at 3, it will be a disgrace to that position. 

It is about getting the most out of our resources, not image. 

8 minutes ago, Number said:

Karun experiment is not working and I also think Easwaran is way past his prime.

Sai also doesn't inspire much confidence but if he clicks we have someone who can serve us for long.

Give him this full series.

And what if Sai fails this series, will we drop him? #3 is a tough position for a rookie (like opening), won't get a readymade solution. Better to ease Sai by giving him some games lower down the order. 

[Gollum]

9 minutes ago, lemsip said:

No. Lacks the  technique needed to negotiate the new ball and fresh bowlers that a number 3 batsman needs. Another middle order batsman Karun Nair got exposed in the brief time he spent at number 3 in this match as his technical flaws became very evident once promoted.

Jadeja needs to transition out of the team and a younger person with a longer runway has to step in whether Sai Kishore or someone else who can do a similar job. The longer this is delayed the more it will backfire in the long run.

But TM is happy with Jadeja. Gill even praised his bowling in Leeds. It is a given that he will play this whole cycle. So how best to utilize his services? Is his batting helping us at #6 position, or do you think Jurel/Sarfu/Sai can do a better job at that position?

[lemsip]

3 minutes ago, Gollum said:

But TM is happy with Jadeja. Gill even praised his bowling in Leeds. It is a given that he will play this whole cycle. So how best to utilize his services? Is his batting helping us at #6 position, or do you think Jurel/Sarfu/Sai can do a better job at that position?

Nowhere is it set in stone that a 36 year old has to play for the entire cycle with India have such a huge pool of young players. Like every other player his selection has to be performance dependent in a professional team. At that age, the future performance trajectory is clear. Batting him as number 3 purely to address the "where to fit Jadeja" problem is focusing on the individual and not the team's needs. Number 3 needs a specialist batsman and nowhere in his long career has Jadeja shown any signs of being technically suited to that role. They need to use a proper batsman for that slot especially overseas.

[rkt.india]

Better to try Sundar at 3

[goose]

i have long said he is a gun specialist batter overseas. forget his bowling completely. he's just scored 80 odd when india were teetering at 210/5 and then as per orders grinded out 60 odd on day 4. the right response to someone doing very well in a batting position is rarely to promote them. i say leave him. you do need at least one batsmen that follows him to be half decent so he can accumulate at his own pace. his critics need medical attention

 

 

[crictime]

Jadeja at 3 in test matches will be a blunder. That is not going to happen. Imo, Jadeja should not bat even in top 6.

[R!TTER]

No, the biggest issue with Jadeja is expectations much like the rest of our chumps! When we've expected lots from him he's come up short, although very rarely at home, so this is almost surely a recipe for disaster 

[express bowling]

I want Dhruv Jurel

 

He has the technique to counter the new ball and is a fighter.

[Number]

2 hours ago, Gollum said:

It is about getting the most out of our resources, not image. 

And what if Sai fails this series, will we drop him? #3 is a tough position for a rookie (like opening), won't get a readymade solution. Better to ease Sai by giving him some games lower down the order. 

I disagree. Playing Jadeja at 3 will not maximise our resources. He isn't equipped to deal with loose deliveries that need to put away. 

 

If Sai fails to impress then yes he needs to go back to first class and score tons of runs. I don't think there is any other slot open right now. I think Jurel will eventually move to 6.

[NameGoesHere]

His bowling doesn’t have the same bite.  He cannot justify his place as a pure batsman. 
 

Imo he’s way past his sell by date on this Indian team that needs to look to the future. 

[rkt.india]

5 minutes ago, NameGoesHere said:

His bowling doesn’t have the same bite.  He cannot justify his place as a pure batsman. 
 

Imo he’s way past his sell by date on this Indian team that needs to look to the future. 

He is justifying his place as a specialist batsman because he is third best batsman we have in last 5 years.

[lemsip]

12 minutes ago, rkt.india said:

He is justifying his place as a specialist batsman because he is third best batsman we have in last 5 years.

No he's not. From the current team Gill, Pant and Jaiswal have more runs than him in the last 5. Even Rohit and Kohli  are in the top 5 run scorers of the last 5 years.

[nevada]

3 hours ago, goose said:

i have long said he is a gun specialist batter overseas. forget his bowling completely. he's just scored 80 odd when india were teetering at 210/5 and then as per orders grinded out 60 odd on day 4. the right response to someone doing very well in a batting position is rarely to promote them. i say leave him. you do need at least one batsmen that follows him to be half decent so he can accumulate at his own pace. his critics need medical attention

 

 

He does well at 5 or 6 when the ball is old. As a #3, against the new ball and with the weight of expectations, he will most likely be a failure. He does well under the radar, unnoticed, when he is not really expected to deliver a big score. Which is possible at his current position.

[putrevus]

No, once he is facing new ball he will be exposed. He is okay at number 6 as he is often facing old ball.

 

No Sundar please, he is again a useless selection. Bits and pieces players won’t win matches .