All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the home Test series against England. Jadeja had dislocated his left thumb in the third Test in Sydney, underwent surgery in Australia but will need six weeks to recover. India is scheduled to play four Tests, five T20 Internationals and three ODIs starting February 5. The first two Tests will be played in Chennai while the next two will be in Ahmedabad. Sources in the BCCI said that a decision on Jadeja’s participation in the T20Is and ODIs will be taken later.
“He is out of Test series and he will take more than six weeks to recover completely. The selectors will take a call later, whether to include him in the team for the shorter formats,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express.
Jadeja will travel to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for rehabilitation.
An official announcement from the Indian board is yet to be made on the matter but as things stand, Jadeja seems to be heading towards a longer spell on the sidelines than what was earlier expected.
Jadeja had multiple injury issues during India’s tour of Australia. The all-rounder had also injured his hamstring during the first T20I between the two sides. In the same match, he has also suffered a concussion after being hit on the helmet. The southpaw marked his return to the Indian team in the second Test at Melbourne and played an important role in India’s triumph.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel was picked in the Indian squad for the first two Tests alongside Washington Sundar – who will be competing for the same spot too.
India squad for first two Tests: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-captain), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur.
