Ravindra Jadeja's performance on Day 4 of the second Test against England has sparked controversy, with accusations that he deliberately delayed India's declaration while awaiting a message from head coach Gautam Gambhir. India dominated the day, setting England a formidable target of 608 runs after declaring their second innings at 427/6. However, Jadeja's slow batting during a crucial period of the innings drew criticism from commentators and former players.

During the second session, while Shubman Gill was scoring a masterful 161 and Rishabh Pant contributed a quickfire 65, Jadeja appeared hesitant, facing 68 balls and hitting only one boundary before the tea break. This lack of aggression prompted questions from commentators Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton, who wondered why Jadeja didn't display his attacking intent earlier. After the tea break, Jadeja suddenly changed gears, hitting a six off Shoaib Bashir, which further fueled the criticism about his earlier sluggishness.

Atherton questioned why Jadeja didn't exhibit the same aggression before tea. Hussain added that if India failed to win the Test, they would rue the slow half-hour before tea and question why the coach needed to instruct them to accelerate. Hussain said it was strange that it takes a tea interval for a person to say, let's get on with it.

Critics suggest that Jadeja's hesitancy to attack until receiving a clear message from Gautam Gambhir resulted in a delayed declaration. They argue that an earlier display of aggression from Jadeja could have allowed India to reach their desired score more quickly, enabling Gill to declare earlier. Jadeja ultimately remained unbeaten with 69 runs off 118 balls before the declaration.

The commentators felt that Jadeja's intent not to go attacking until a clear message came from the head coach Gautam Gambhir, seems to have resulted in a delayed declaration. The perceived delay has raised questions about whether it could potentially impact India's chances of victory.