Following India's defeat to England in the first Test at Leeds, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has openly criticized Ravindra Jadeja's performance, particularly his bowling. The all-rounder managed to pick up only one wicket in the entire match, a performance that Manjrekar deemed disappointing considering the conditions and Jadeja's experience.

Manjrekar expressed his views on Star Sports, highlighting that the pitch didn't offer much assistance to the seam bowlers. He noted that even Jasprit Bumrah, India's premier fast bowler, struggled to extract movement from the surface. In contrast, Manjrekar argued that Jadeja had the advantage of bowling on a Day 5 pitch that had rough patches, which he could have exploited to trouble the English batsmen.

Specifically, Manjrekar pointed out Jadeja's inability to effectively use the rough against Ben Duckett and Ben Stokes. While he acknowledged that Jadeja did attempt to use the rough against Stokes, he felt it was too late in Duckett's innings. Manjrekar stated that he expected a higher level of tactical awareness and execution from an experienced bowler like Jadeja, especially against seasoned batsmen.

"These are not typical English conditions. This isn't a pitch that offers nothing. I thought he didn't use the rough effectively enough against Ben Stokes. He did later, but against Ben Duckett, it came very late in the innings. From experienced bowlers and against experienced batsmen, you expect more. And somewhere, I think Jadeja was disappointing, because the seamers had nothing in the pitch for them — but at least Jadeja had something," Manjrekar said.

He also defended Prasidh Krishna, who conceded runs at a high economy rate, stating that it wasn't fair to be overly critical of younger players. Manjrekar emphasized that there are obvious areas of improvement for Krishna, but his focus was on Jadeja's performance, given his experience and the favorable conditions.

Manjrekar's criticism has sparked debate among cricket fans and experts, with some agreeing that Jadeja underperformed, while others have defended him, citing the lack of support from the other bowlers and the dropped catches off his bowling.

Ravindra Jadeja's performance in the Leeds Test has also impacted his ICC rankings. He has slipped out of the top 10 in the latest rankings for bowlers, falling from 10th to 13th position. Despite this, Jadeja remains at the top of the all-rounders rankings in Test cricket.

The second Test between India and England will be held in Birmingham, starting on July 2. Jadeja's performance will be closely watched as India look to bounce back and level the series. The team will be hoping that he can utilize his experience and skill to make a significant impact with both bat and ball.