Ravindra Jadeja's shocking no-ball crisis, 88 oversteps since 2021 and counting in Tests

No-ball has emerged as a persistent flaw for India's veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, a problem glaringly highlighted by his recent Test performances. In the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka, the all-rounder overstepped three times in the first innings and added another in the second. These latest errors pushed his total Test no-ball count since 2021 to a staggering 88. That figure places him comfortably at the top of an unwanted metric, making him the most frequent overstepping spinner in red-ball cricket over this period, more than double the tally of Pakistan's Noman Ali, who sits second with 40.

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The issue was equally costly during the series opener, where Jadeja conceded two no-balls in each innings. Notably, one of those front-foot oversteps gifted Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva a crucial reprieve when he should have been dismissed. Behind Jadeja and Noman on the global list of spinners with the most Test no-balls since 2021 are Sri Lanka's Lasith Embuldeniya (33), England's Jack Leach (19), West Indies' Jomel Warrican (17), and Afghanistan's Zahir Khan (17).

Sri Lanka ended the fourth day of the second Test at 229/6 in their second innings, having erased a massive first-innings deficit after being forced to follow on by India. Top-scoring with a brave 92, Pasindu Sooriyabandara spearheaded the hosts' resistance before a deluge brought play to an early close. Sri Lanka now hold a slender 16-run lead, with Sonal Dinusha (7) and Keshara Nuwantha (3) set to resume on the final morning.

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Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka's first innings concluded at 290, falling 213 runs behind India's towering 503/9 declared. Despite the deficit, Sonal Dinusha provided a major highlight by completing his second hundred of the series. India's morning attack was paced by three-wicket hauls from Prasidh Krishna (3/52) and Manav Suthar (3/85), while off-spinner Saransh Jain (2/69) claimed his maiden Test dismissals.

Kamindu Mendis contributed a fluent 55 to aid Sooriyabandara in the second essay, helping Sri Lanka push past the deficit and extend the contest into day five. Nevertheless, India remain in complete command with four wickets left to take, well-positioned to complete a 2-0 series sweep following their dominant win in Galle.