England bowling coach Jeetan Patel revealed about the injury Jack Leach suffered during the ongoing first Test against India. He said the spinner injured his knee while playing fine leg and it could be quite serious.

England player Jack Leach did not play much on Day 2 of the ongoing first Test between India and England. He raised many questions as many criticized captain Ben Stokes for not using the first choice spinner even though he bowled well.

While other spinners bowled long spells, Jack Leach hardly bowled more than four overs in a spell. The spinner, however, bowled quite well and troubled the Indian batsmen, bowling crisp lines and lengths and extracting spin from the surface.

However, the reason behind this has now been revealed. England bowling coach Jeetan Patel spoke about the injury the spinner suffered while playing. He said Jack Leach is worried about it but the spinner would not shirk responsibility. Speaking to reporters, he explained:

“Jack banged his knee last night on the first fine leg dive, then he banged it again today and to be honest it’s giving him a bit of joy. It must be quite serious, or serious for him at least, because the reality is that he would not avoid that responsibility. “It’s pretty painful if you look at it in the outfield and I don’t think it’s a scratch.”

Jeetan Patel also highlighted that despite being slow, Jack Leach played well. He spoke about the off-spinner’s commitment and added that it was a shame that he got injured again. He added:

“You could tell he was a little slow trying to get to the balls, but he held his ground and I thought he actually pitched very, very well considering. He tried everything and used the options he had, considering that he was a little hampered.

“That’s what Jack does for this team, he always will, but it’s a bit embarrassing where he came from (with his rehab), to bowl at fine leg and suddenly you’re limping.” .”

It was a tough day but the effort the boys put in was immense – England’s Jeetan Patel

Jeetan Patel further spoke about England’s performance on Day 2 of the first Test against India. He admitted it was a tough day for the team. He added that it is important for them to come back now and that the game will work itself out. He elaborated:

“It was a difficult day, but the effort the boys put in was immense, almost through the roof. If you went into the ground and didn’t know the outcome, you’d almost think we were at the top of the game. Today shows what that locker room is all about.

“We just have to make sure we come back, have the same attitude about how we take those three wickets, and the game will work itself out from there.”

After putting England on 246 runs, India took a lead of 175 runs. On Day 2, the hosts were 421/7 with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel batting 81 and 35 respectively.