Why Virat Kohli should prefer Ravindra Jadeja over Amit Mishra

Everything boils down to what plan Virat Kohli comes up with. Given his aggressive brand of cricket, he prefers having a leg-spinner in his armoury. But, for him to go for the kill and win the series 3-0, he needs Ravindra Jadeja’s services more than Mishra's.

Wrist spinners usually go for runs. They often bowl full tosses, stray down the leg side and hardly maintain one line and length. However, they have a sterling ability to take wickets. In true sense of the word, they are the strike bowlers. For example, Pakistan’s Yasir Shah exhibited a commanding show catching England in trance with his leg-cutters at Lord’s. In the next match, he failed to emulate the same, resulting in Pakistan’s defeat. One day, the leg-spinners are heroes, the other they are reduced to nothingness. As a matter of fact, India is facing a similar conundrum, as Amit Mishra lacked the spite and vigour to take wickets on slow Caribbean tracks.

With a top-drawer bowler like Ravichandran Ashwin in the ranks, Mishra has so far played a supporting role. Not that he failed in the last two Tests, his performance was not enough for India to win. He, in fact, has taken six wickets in four innings, maintaining an economy of just over 3 RPO.

In addition, he used his batting skills to good effect, as his scores read 53 and 21 in the only two innings he batted. Nonetheless, he was primarily picked to provide crucial breakthroughs, which he failed to cater in the last innings of the second Test, letting the hosts off the hook.

His quicker ones were easily picked and the stock deliveries were put away to the boundary with comfort. In short, he posed no threat to the West Indian batsmen whatsoever.

It is not the case that India cannot use his services anymore. They simply need someone who can provide impetus when the mainstay bowlers have a bad day at the office. As a matter of fact, they already have one in slow left-arm orthodox Ravindra Jadeja.

Mishra may have played four Tests more than him, but his performance compared to Jadeja’s credits the latter’s placement in the starting XI. However, it is not about numbers but what India need at this stage.

Jadeja’s action may not have enough sting in it, but his arm balls are the ones that act as the venom. Like we witnessed Australia falling prey to Rangana Herath’s straighter ones, there is a possibility that West Indies may get vulnerable to Jadeja’s wily arm balls.

West Indian batsmen have the tendency to play with the turn; they usually do not close the face of the bat. When the ball is angled in (by slow left-arm bowler), they guide it in the mid-off to extra-over region. All the same, if the ball holds its angle, there are high chances of the batsmen getting trapped in front. And this is exactly where Jadeja will come into play.

He outfoxed the likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Michael Clark with his finger spin.

In addition, he is armed with a round-arm action, which means, the chances of his regulation deliveries turning square are more. In short, he can do both: produce an inside edge as well as trap in front.

Jadeja’s batting skills need no explanation. He has three triple hundreds to his name in First-Class cricket, and played a vital knock in India’s victory at Lord’s in 2014. Though a little less technically solid than Mishra, but he is equally effective.

Nonetheless, everything boils down to what plan Virat Kohli dishes out. Given his aggressive brand of cricket, he prefers having a leg-spinner in his armoury. But, for him to go for the kill and win the series 3-0, he needs Jadeja’s services more than Mishra’s.

first appeared in CricketCountry

(Kaustubh S. Mayekar, a reporter at CricketCountry, played cricket at U-16 level. Like his idol Rahul Dravid, he often shadow-practises cricket shots. His Twitter handle is @kaumedy_.)