In the current second Test match against Sri Lanka, India spinner Ravindra Jadeja’s problems with no-balls persisted, and his most recent transgressions highlighted a worrying pattern in his red-ball bowling. Jadeja now has an incredible 88 no-balls in Test cricket since 2021 after bowling three in Sri Lanka’s first innings and another in their second.
In the second Test match against Sri Lanka, Jadeja made the most recent additions by bowling three no-balls in the first innings and one in the second. He bowled two no-balls in the first and two in the second innings of the first Test in the same series, totalling eight no-balls in the four innings of the two Tests.
That is more than twice the total of second-place Pakistani spinner Noman Ali, who has bowled 40, and the highest by any spinner in the format during that time. Dhananjaya de Silva was given a lifeline by one of those deliveries in the first Test second innings, demonstrating the direct cost such mistakes can have in a hotly contested match.
| No-Balls | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | Ravindra Jadeja | India |
| 40 | Noman Ali | Pakistan |
| 33 | Lasith Embuldeniya | Sri Lanka |
| 19 | Jack Leach | England |
| 17 | Jomel Warrican | West Indies |
| 17 | Zahir Khan | Afghanistan |
During the current Sri Lanka series, Jadeja also amassed 350 Test wickets, so the no-ball record stands in stark contrast to an otherwise noteworthy personal achievement. In the first Test, the left-arm finger-spinner encountered a similar problem, bowling two no-balls in each of Sri Lanka’s innings.
Since 2021, Jack Leach of England has delivered 19 no-balls in Test matches, while Zahir Khan of Afghanistan and Jomel Warrican of the West Indies have each bowled 17. With a combined total of 126 no-balls, the five bowlers below Jadeja on the list are only 38 more than Jadeja.
When it comes to overstepping, the numbers put Jadeja in a class of his own among front-line Test spinners, and the Sri Lanka series has contributed to a record that was already well clear of the field prior to the start of this tour.
