Jadeja's Spin Struggles in IPL 2025: In-Depth Analysis of His Batting Miseries

Ravindra Jadeja's spin batting has been a concern in the current IPL seasons. Jadeja was the only CSK batsman dismissed by spin in the recent game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Chepauk, once again indicating his current spin woes. This game, however, is only one instance of a trend overall that has been rising year after year. His struggle against spinners can be seen in comparison to other great players who specialize in this area.

CSK decided to upgrade Jadeja to the fourth slot in the batting order this season, a position generally for players who are able to dominate the game early on in the innings. The move was made after Shivam Dube, the regular number-four batsman, was not considered ready for facing spin. Dube's record against spin is not that impressive, which led Jadeja to get a chance to take up the position. However, Jadeja's record against spin has not been that impressive as well, which brings into question the success of the switch.

One of Jadeja's problems against spin may be his inability to make a flying start when faced by slow bowlers. Jadeja has been the slowest starter against spin in the IPL since 2018, with a strike rate of only 88 off the first ten balls against spin. Slow start denies him momentum, especially in the important early phase of his innings. His average spin too is a cause of concern with the lower number of 21.22, which goes to show that he is unable to maximize opportunities in front of slow bowlers.

Given his performances against all types of spin, Jadeja has been an all-rounder failure. Against left-arm orthodox bowlers, leg breakers, and off spinners, his strike rate is greatly below average. Against left-arm orthodox spin, generally a fine pairing for left-handers, Jadeja's strike rate is almost one run for every ball.

Penetrating analysis of his batting strategy comes up with another weakness in his armor: Jadeja is not comfortable facing ball turning away from him. His strike rate against off-spin and left-arm wrist spin is particularly abysmal, scoring well below average scores of 20 off them. This might quite likely be because he finds it difficult to score behind square. Unlike all other batsmen, Jadeja lacks a forceful sweep against spin, and this limits his ability to rotate the strike properly. Compared to this, players such as Rajat Patidar and Heinrich Klaasen have shown that batting spin ahead of the wicket might be a lucrative business even against tough match-ups. But Jadeja prefers to attack less frequently, especially against his poor match-ups like left-arm orthodox and leg spin.

While Jadeja's vulnerability to spin has been talked about a lot, it has to be said that as a side CSK also has had the same vulnerability. Since they are spin masters when it comes to playing spin and having best-of-breed spinners, CSK has been one of the worst sides against spin in the past two seasons of IPL. They have been found wanting during Powerplay this year as well, and their middle-order batsmen are being knocked over from both sides. Therefore, Jadeja's number four role might not be the most suitable, as he cannot rule out spin from being an attacking option.

Jadeja's ability to bat at number four is a huge question mark for CSK, particularly in light of the added focus on attack-minded spin in modern T20 cricket. The team did make some changes to eliminate this issue, but Jadeja's continued weakness against spin means they will have to return to their batting strategy. In the future, CSK would require a better spinner at number four to stay in the game, especially when batting against decent spinners in the middle overs.

Shorty, Jadeja's ongoing battle against spin is a worry for him as well as CSK. Though he is a good all-rounder, his weak spin record makes him lethal at crunch moments. For CSK to strengthen and mount a huge fightback in the IPL, they have to get Jadeja right against spin too and redo his batting position.