Saurashtra captain Ravindra Jadeja dismissed cheaply against Tamil Nadu on Ranji Trophy return
Ravindra Jadeja returned to competitive cricket after a long injury-enforced layoff, captaining Saurashtra against Tamil Nadu in the ongoing Ranji Trophy at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Jadeja failed to make a significant impact with the bat during Saurashtra's first innings. The left-handed batter mustered just 15 runs before being trapped leg-before by Baba Aparajith. He had a forgettable outing with the ball as well earlier in the match. The seasoned cricketer picked up just a single wicket from his 24 overs.
Notably, he was on the sidelines due to a knee injury and returned to cricketing action for the first time since August 2022.
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Jadeja's fitness will be key for Rohit Sharma and Co. ahead of the crucial four-match home Test series against Australia. He has been one of the top performers for India in red-ball cricket over the years.
It is worth mentioning that the 34-year-old currently holds the top spot in the ICC rankings for all-rounders in Tests.
Ravindra Jadeja is a part of India's squad for the first two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Ravindra Jadeja has been added to India's 17-member squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. However, the BCCI has clarified that his inclusion is subject to fitness.
The talismanic all-rounder underwent knee surgery in August last year. He has had to miss several matches, including the all-important T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia because of the same.
Jadeja will be hoping to prove his fitness and find some rhythm by playing a four-day Ranji Trophy match for Saurashtra. He last played a Test match for India in July 2022 against England in Birmingham, where he played a stunning 104-run knock.
The Test series against Australia is set to kick off in Nagpur on February 9. This will be the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will be played in a four-match format. The two nations will compete for the prize in a five-match series from the next edition.
India’s Test squad for the first two Tests against Australia: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.
Note: Ravindra Jadeja’s inclusion in the squad is subject to fitness.