Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has spoken highly of Ravindra Jadeja, urging budding players to follow the footsteps of the Indian all-rounder if they intend to have a prolonged Test career.
Pietersen, who played in all three formats for England between 2005 and 2014, also rued that the Three Lions don't have an 'international-standard' left-arm spinner.
"It frustrates me that there still isn't an international-standard English left-arm spin bowler who bats. Look at what Ravindra Jadeja has done for India in Test match cricket, one-day cricket, and T20 cricket," Pietersen wrote in his blog for Betway Insider.
"It's the one position that the ECB must be prioritizing. They need to invest in somebody because someone of that ilk is priceless across all three formats," the former England captain added. "If you're a kid, an emerging player, or a county cricketer, copy Jadeja. Copy what Jadeja does because he's an absolute superstar. You'll have a long career as a Test match cricketer for England.
Jadeja, 32, is one of the best fielders in the world at present and boosts the Indian team with his multi-dimensional skills.
The Saurashtra player has revived his international career after the 2019 World Cup. At one point, Jadeja wasn't an automatic choice for India before he got his mojo back. Hardik Pandya's injury struggles and a dip in the form of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal helped Jadeja in becoming an integral part of the national setup.
Jadeja, who has so far played 51 Tests, 168 ODIs, and 50 T20 Internationals, will be seen in action during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand and the five-Test series versus hosts England.
"Leach is not a Test match spinner and Bess is not a Test match spinner. I wrote nearly two years ago that I hope Leach doesn't get remembered for Specsavers adverts because it’s about winning Test matches," Pietersen pointed out.
"Unfortunately, I was right, because he’s not good enough. He hasn't bowled any teams out, he hasn't bowled England to glory in Tests like Panesar and Swann used to do," Pietersen said.
