“Hahaha, very much similar” – Ravindra Jadeja reacts as Jaydev Undakat shares his look-alike cricketer from Saurashtra
Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja expressed his surprise as Jaydev Undakat shared his look-alike cricketer from Saurashtra on Monday. Sharing a picture of Prerak Mankad on social media, Undakat shocked everyone, including Jadeja.
He wrote on Twitter:
“Glad to have Jaddu in the team.. (in disguise) @iamjadeja = @PrerakMankad46”
Jadeja replied:
“Hahaha, very much similar.”
@JUnadkat @PrerakMankad46 Hahaha very much similar
It is worth mentioning that Mankad is a rising all-rounder from Saurashtra. He made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings earlier this year.
The 28-year-old has slammed four centuries and 19 fifties in his First Class and List A career. On Monday, he scored 72 runs in the second innings against the Rest of India in the Irani Trophy.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja is undergoing rehab after he was ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia due to a knee injury.
His absence came as a massive blow for India due to his batting and bowling exploits. He is also considered among the world’s best fielders for his ability to take impossible catches and produce match-winning run-outs.
Ravindra Jadeja’s replacement Axar Patel shines ahead of T20 World Cup
Gujarat all-rounder Axar Patel has grabbed the opportunity with both hands in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja.
The left-arm spinner picked up eight wickets against Australia in the recently concluded three-match T20I series and won the Player of the Series award.
He has also picked up a couple of wickets in the ongoing T20Is against South Africa. He is expected to carry his excellent form into the T20 World Cup.
Axar is also a handy batting option in the lower order for the Men in Blue. He will likely showcase his batting prowess at the showpiece event in Australia if required.
In a recent interview, Australian coach Andrew McDonald said that India have found another Jadeja in the form of Axar.
Speaking to PTI, he said:
“Axar, in particular, had an outstanding series. With Jaddu (Jadeja) out, everyone thought it might become a bit of weakness for India, but they’ve found another one again, which tends to happen.”
India squad for the ICC T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah (replacement yet to be announced), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, and Arshdeep Singh.
Standby players - Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, and Deepak Chahar.