Ravichandran Ashwin backs Ravindra Jadeja to bat at no.5 in 5th Test against England

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels Ravindra Jadeja can bat at number five in the series decider against England. Ashwin said Jadeja can be given a batting promotion if his bowling workload remains less and Dhruv Jurel keeps the wickets for a long time.

Jadeja had scored an unbeaten knock of 107 runs in the second innings at Old Trafford and played a key role in helping India save the Test match. The southpaw has been in magnificent form as he has aggregated 454 runs in four Test matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar series at an average of 113.50.

Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “If we have to bowl a lot of overs, Jadeja can take the No. 6 spot. If his bowling workload remains less and Dhruv Jurel has kept quite a lot, Jadeja can move to No. 5. We can have a bit of flexibility.”

The former Indian all-rounder said Dhruv Jurel can also find success while batting at number five if Jadeja continues to bat at number six.

“It is important to keep Jadeja at the position where he has done so well. Dhruv Jurel is a more than capable batter. Some of the knocks that he has played have been excellent. Rishabh Pant has been a different beast in Test cricket, but Dhruv Jurel is also good, very capable of handling it,” Ashwin remarked.

Ashwin said Bumrah should put his body on the line and play the series-decider Test against England.

Ash added, “If you have the chance to draw the Test series, Jassi has to put his body on the line. That’s just my thought process.”

The former off-spinner urged Shubman Gill to bat first against England if he wins the toss as the home team bowlers are tired after bowling 143 overs in the second innings at Old Trafford.

“If you are going to play Kuldeep Yadav, might as well win the toss and bat first. England are completely tired. They don’t have options. That is a tired bowling attack. You should take advantage of their tiredness. How much recovery can be done in three days? If you win the toss and bat first, and you bat well, England are on the mat. If I were India, I would just win the toss and bat first, unless and until it’s an absolute green mamba,” Ashwin added.

The fifth and final Test match between England and India will be played at the Kennington Oval, London, from 31st July onwards.