England’s bowling coach, Jeetan Patel has disclosed details on Jack Leach’s injury sustained during the ongoing first Test against India. He said the spinner damaged his knee while fielding at the fine leg, and it could be serious going forward. The seasoned spinner made it into the team for the first team against India after missing out on the entire Ashes series due to injury.
England spinner Jack Leach did not bowl much on Day 2 against England. Many questioned skipper Ben Stokes’ decision not to employ his preferred spinner, despite his bowling prowess on the slow wickets. Unlike other spinners, Jack Leach bowled more short spells than the longer ones, with him troubling the Indian batters in the game.
Speaking to the media at the end of Day 2 play, England’s bowling coach, Jeetan Patel revealed that the veteran spinner has injured himself during the fielding. He added that Jack Leach is concerned about this, but the spinner refuses to avoid responsibility.
“Jack banged his knee last night, the first dive down at fine leg, then he banged it again today and it’s giving him a little jip, to be honest, It must be pretty serious, or serious for him anyway because the reality is he wouldn’t shirk that responsibility. It is sore enough if you watch him in the outfield and I don’t think it’s a graze,” Jeetan Patel said.
The most experienced among the four spinners, damaged his knee when attempting to preserve a boundary on day one, which worsened on day two. The left-arm spinner bowled only 16 overs out of 87, with a maximum of four overs per stint, and also left the field to receive treatment.
I Thought Jack Leach Actually Bowled Really Well – Jeetan Patel
Jeetan Patel went on to say that Jack Leach bowled brilliantly despite his injury concerns. He praised the left-arm spinner for his dedication and expressed regret that he had been injured again after returning to the team after a long time.
“You noticed he was a little sluggish trying to get to balls, but he stuck at it and I thought he actually bowled really, really well considering. He tried everything and he used the options he had, bearing in mind he was a bit hampered.
“That’s what Jack does for this team, he’ll always put in, but it’s a bit of a shame from where he’s come (with his rehabilitation), to dive on one at fine leg and all of a sudden you’re hobbling around,” Jeetan Patel added.
England part-time bowler Joe Root bowled 24 overs on Day 2 and concluded with two for 77, but Hartley and Ahmed’s inexperience was evident as they failed to slow the flow of runs. The Ben Stokes-led side may look to examine the severity of the injury, as he might be critical to the team’s performance in the remainder of the series.
