Dissecting Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling in IPL 2017

Ravindra Jadeja had a dream run during India’s home Test season. 71 wickets from 13 Tests not only ensured that India won all four series and 10 Test matches but also culminated into Jadeja being crowned the No. 1 ranked Test bowler. The left-arm spinner had come a long way from being a decent limited-overs bowler to become the best Test bowler in the world.

The 28-year-old was tipped to make a big impact in the 10th edition of the IPL for Gujarat Lions, a franchise he represents since its inception in 2016. The Saurashtra lad missed the first couple of games as the BCCI’s medical team had advised him to take a break to recuperate from the laborious home season. Lions crashed out in the first two games and missed Jadeja sorely.

Lackluster start

The all-rounder played in the side’s third game of the season. While his performance did not set the stage alight, Gujarat Lions managed to win their first game of the season in Jadeja’s comeback game against Rising Pune Supergiant.

10 games on, Jadeja’s performances have followed a familiar theme. The all-rounder has had his worst season with the ball in his IPL career. Gujarat Lions were banking on Jadeja to turn their abysmal season around but it was not to be as Raina-led Gujarat are already out of the reckoning for the playoffs. From 13 games, they have managed to win just 4 matches. Jadeja played 11 of them and conceded runs at an alarming economy rate of 9.42 – his worst across all season of IPL where he has bowled more than 3 overs.

What’s wrong with Jaddu?

So what went wrong for Jadeja? He struggled with his lengths more than anything else. His length oscillated between too full or too short. Coming from a long Test season might have led to the full deliveries. In a bid to correct it, Jadeja over-compensated and bowled too short on occasions and was dispatched over mid-wicket. With the reputation he came in with in the tournament, Raina kept backing him despite Jadeja leaking runs.

In the left-arm spinner’s first six games, Raina bowled out Jadeja in every game. He was leaking runs at an alarming rate. 24 overs into the season, he had conceded 222 runs picking just 4 scalps. Gujarat certainly were expecting more from their premier all-rounder.

Inevitably, Raina started losing confidence in Jadeja’s effectiveness and bowled him for just 7 overs collectively in the next four games, 9 overs less than his full quota of overs. The No. 1 Test ranked bowler conceded 77 runs in these four games and seemed to be treading water game after game.

Struggle against left-handers

Jadeja has particularly struggled against the left-handers. With the ball coming in, it is no secret that he is easier to get off for runs for the lefties. In 76 balls he has bowled to the left-handers this year 145 runs have been scored compared to 184 off 134 off the right-handers. Clearly, the left-handers have had a vice-like grip over Jadeja as they have scored almost 3 extra runs per over off him.

The target areas by the left-handers have followed similar patterns, most of them going either over mid-wicket or behind square on the off-side using Jadeja’s pace. Only Gayle, who has scored 27 runs off 8 balls from Jadeja, has hit him over long off and cover region apart from a slog-swept six over deep square leg. Parthiv Patel, Nitish Rana and Pawan Negi have scored a majority of their runs against Jadeja behind square on the off-side by playing it late and using the pace Jadeja has on the ball.

Stokes has been brutal off Jaddu. The English all-rounder, who did not have a clue when he faced Jadeja in the 5-Test series late last year, scored 25 runs from the 11 balls he has faced him across two games. Stokes’ favourite region against Jadeja has been over long on and mid-wicket and that is where he has hit three sixes off him. Gambhir too preferred hitting him over mid-wicket. Rishabh Pant, like Chris Gayle, hit him straighter.

Observing the pattern, Jadeja could have been better off slowing it up. Veteran spinner Harbhajan, by his own admission, slowed the pace on the ball considerably and has been very misery this year as his economy rate of 5.81 reflects. Jadeja could have taken a leaf out of Harbhajan’s book. Agreed that the wickets this year have not assisted spin bowling as much as it usually does, giving more flight would have been the best way forward like Harbhajan has shown.

Jadeja’s batting, though, has been decent. With an average of 34.50 and a strike rate of almost 140, the all-rounder has done a satisfactory job for the Lions in the end overs.

The left-arm spin of Jadeja, which once earned the epithet of T20-like, was unprecedentedly lax throughout the season and far below the lofty standards he set as the batsmen found a way of scything him for runs.

With just one game left to be played in IPL 2017 by the star all-rounder, there isn’t much Jadeja can do as the telling blows have already been struck.