“Game comes back and bites you”: Ricky Ponting calls out Ravindra Jadeja for lacking game awareness in first innings of fourth Test

Samira Vishwas

Tezzbuzz|24-07-2025

Overview:

Jadeja was unbeaten on 19 runs at stumps, with Indian National Cricket Team posting 264/4. Shardul Thakur also managed 19.

Ricky Ponting slammed Ravindra Jadeja for saying not to an easy single in the first innings of the fourth Test against England. On the first ball of the 78th over, Shardul Thakur called Jadeja for a single, but surprisingly, the senior player said no. Ponting, who was in the commentary box with Ravi Shastri, didn’t like what he saw.

Jadeja has been among the run-scorers in the five-match Test series, but his act irked one of the greatest batters of all time.

“Game comes back and bites you. I don’t like it. It was an easy single but the non-striker was not interested,” Ricky Ponting said.

“Ravindra Jadeja should be facing the next ball as it was a run. We have seen a wicket going down when a run is denied,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jadeja was unbeaten on 19 runs at stumps, with the Indian National Cricket Team posting 264/4. Shardul Thakur also managed 19. Earlier, Ben Stokes won the toss and invited India to bat first. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul added 94 runs for the first wicket.

Jaiswal (58) and Rahul (46) were superb. Shubman Gill (12) suffered another failure. Sai Sudharsan, who was recalled to the side, managed 61 runs.

Rishabh Pant’s injury was a big blow for the visitors. He retired hurt after amassing 37 runs. The southpaw was hit on the foot after missing a yorker-length delivery from Chris Woakes.