Douglas Jardine, the most hated cricketer in Australia who introduced bodyline bowling

New Delhi: Douglas Robert Jardine played 22 Test matches for England in 30s and captained the side in 15 of those matches between 1931 and 1934. A right-handed batsman.He is best known for captaining the English team during the 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. During that series, England employed "Bodyline" tactics against the Australian batsmen, wherein bowlers pitched the ball short on the line of leg stump to rise towards the bodies of the batsmen in a manner that most contemporary players and critics viewed as intimidatory and physically dangerous.Jardine is generally believed to be the person responsible for the implementation of Bodyline. A controversial figure among cricketers, he was well known for his dislike of Australian players and crowds and was unpopular in Australia, particularly for his manner and especially after the Bodyline tour. Jardine made his Test debut against the West Indies who were touring England. This was West Indies' first ever Test match. The team possessed several fast bowlers who bowled with hostility and enjoyed some success on the tour of England. Many batsmen only played them with difficulty, particularly on the occasional fast-paced pitch, but Jardine played them confidently in the Test series. Jardine played in the first two Tests, both of which were won by England by an innings, but missed the third for unknown reasons. He scored 22 on his debut, but was more successful in the second Test. He scored an eventful 83.Jardine was selected to tour Australia with the M.C.C. team in 1928–29 as part of a very strong batting side. Jardine was the centre of attention at the start of the tour. He began the tour with three consecutive hundreds and was seen as one of the main English threats. His third hundred was described by Bradman as one of the finest exhibitions of strokeplay that he had seen.For 1932-33 tour of Australia, it was announced that Jardine would captain the M.C.C. There were concerns about whether he was the best choice.Jardine explained his belief that Bradman was weak against bowling directed at leg stump and that if this line of attack could be maintained, it would restrict Bradman's scoring to one side of the field, giving the bowlers greater control of his scoring. Jardine asked Larwood and Voce if they could bowl accurately on leg stump and make the ball rise up into the body of the batsman. The bowlers agreed that they could, and that it might prove effective.Controversy over Bodyline continued throughout the following summer. Jardine himself contributed his opinion in a book, In Quest for the Ashes, a first-hand account of the Bodyline tour. He defended his tactics and heavily criticised the Australian barrackers, to the extent of suggesting that fixtures between England and Australia should be halted until this problem was solved.