"Doubt whether Ravindra Jadeja will play the first Test" - Danish Kaneria ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria feels Team India might not play all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 in Nagpur.
Jadeja had been out of action since September last year as he had to undergo a knee surgery. He missed the T20 World Cup and needed some time for his rehabilitation. However, the all-rounder also managed to play a first-class game for Saurashtra before joining the Indian camp for the Test series.
Yet, in a video on his YouTube channel, Danish Kaneria explained why he felt Ravindra Jadeja need not be 'rushed back' into the playing XI. He said:
"I doubt whether Ravindra Jadeja will play the first Test. He is back in the team after a long-term injury and might need some time to regain complete match fitness. It won't be a bad idea to not rush him back and play him directly in the second Test."
Kaneria also opined that Team India shouldn't bank on KL Rahul as their wicketkeeper and would need someone who is a specialist like KS Bharat. Sharing his thoughts on the absence of Rishabh Pant, he said:
"You will need a regular keeper to do the glove work. India can't depend on KL Rahul with the gloves in Test cricket. This is where they will miss the services of Rishabh Pant. I feel Test cricket hasn't seen a player like Rishabh Pant in the past decade, who like Adam Gilchrist, used to go out and used to turn the game on its head."
Danish Kaneria on Ian Healy's comments
Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has been in the news of late due to his controversial comments about India making 'unfair pitches' for their home series. Danish Kaneria feels it is the right of every home team to prepare the kind of pitch that suits their style.
On this, he stated:
"Why do these former players hope for fair pitches when they travel here (the subcontinent)? Why don't they think about the 'fairness' of the pitch when other teams travel to their shores? Why do they exploit their home conditions to their advantage then?
"Any home team has the right to use the home advantage and prepare pitches that suit their style of play without thinking about the opposition."
It will be interesting to see whether India really dish out a rank-turner straightaway in the first Test.