'Not Listening': Ravichandran Ashwin Flags Major Concern in Ravindra Jadeja’s Batting

Rajasthan Royals (RR) faced their fourth defeat, this time against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Jaipur. Riyan Parag and his team lost by 7 wickets, largely due to a solid 110-run opening partnership between Pathum Nissanka (62 off 33) and KL Rahul (75 off 40). Despite this setback, RR is still in the mix, having secured 6 wins so far, but veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s batting performance has raised some eyebrows. 

Jadeja made a dramatic return to his original franchise, RR, as part of the trade deal that sent Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings. However, to be frank, Jadeja's season in IPL 2026 hasn’t been stellar with the bat.

In 7 innings, he has managed to score 152 runs at an average of 50.67. The real concern lies in his strike rate, which is a mere 129.91. His inability to pick up the pace in the lower middle order has been troubling. In the match against DC, it took Jadeja 9 balls to hit his first boundary, but his moment of joy was short-lived as he was dismissed by Mitchell Starc for 20 off 14.

His former India and CSK teammate, Ravichandran Ashwin, pointed out this issue on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, emphasizing that Jadeja’s slow approach against spinners is a significant problem. 

He said:

“Many people, including coaches, have spoken to Ravindra Jadeja about taking on spinners more aggressively, but he is not listening. During the 2024 T20 World Cup, whenever India needed a left-hander up the order, they chose Axar Patel over the more experienced Jadeja. The reason is simple, Axar doesn’t hesitate. He takes on spinners and every other bowler with confidence."

The seasoned all-rounder has been struggling against spin. Since IPL 2020, Jadeja has faced considerable challenges when up against spin bowlers, and teams have exploited this weakness to get him out. Between 2020 and 2025, his strike rate against spin plummeted to just 94.28, the lowest among regular middle-order batsmen. This trend has persisted into IPL 2026, where he has only managed 12 fours and two sixes from the 117 balls he has faced so far. 

In contrast, MS Dhoni, who exclusively plays in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has racked up 2112 runs across 241 T20 innings against spin, boasting a strike rate of 108.97 and an average of 43.1.