After India lost to England by five wickets in the first Test match in Leeds, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar launched a vicious attack on all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

Jadeja's bowling was the biggest disappointment, as he only took one wicket during the match, despite scoring 11 and an undefeated 25 with the bat.

Manjrekar refused to attribute the outcome to the quick bowlers, claiming that there was nothing in the pitch for the seamers, particularly on Day 5. This was in response to the conclusion of the match at Headingley, where England easily chased down 371, their second-highest chase at home, four years after their best-ever performance, which also happened against India.

"Funnily enough, the pitch didn’t offer any lateral movement to India’s seam bowlers. Even Bumrah couldn’t get anything out of the surface. Nothing in the air as well," Manjrekar said on Star Sports.

The way that England opener Ben Duckett battled Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja on his way to his game-winning century was actually praised by Manjrekar.

"Plus, the fact that Ben Duckett is tremendous against Bumrah and has one of the best records against him—and against Jadeja. I don’t think he’s ever been dismissed by Jadeja, and he has faced him at home as well. So, when you have an English batter who is very good against two of your frontline bowlers, then you’re set for a win,” Manjrekar added.

Prasidh Krishna, who gave up runs at an economy rate of 6.50 in both innings, was defended by Manjrekar.

On Day 5, Manjrekar was quite critical of Jadeja's bowling, claiming that the track was designed specifically for him to take advantage of the rough area and cause problems for the England hitters.

Even though Jadeja was the team's most seasoned player, the former India batter acknowledged that he was "disappointed" with his performance.

"See, it's not fair to be critical of the younger players like Prasidh Krishna. There are obvious areas of improvement, but I'm going to be critical of Jadeja because this is a final-day pitch. There's a rough for him to play with. And in the end, I know there were a couple of chances there, but we have to expect more from Jadeja. These are not typical English conditions. This is not where the pitch has nothing to offer. I thought he didn't use the rough enough against Ben Stokes.

He did, but against Ben Duckett very late in the day, in the innings, he came and started using the rough from experienced bowlers. Experienced batsmen, you expect more. And somewhere, I think Jadeja was disappointing because the seamers had nothing in the pitch for them. But at least Jadeja has something," he said.

Jadeja’s performance will be under the scanner when India takes on England in the second Test at Edgbaston from July 2 onwards. 

(Star Sports inputs)