Former India batter Aakash Chopra has urged the team management to not rush star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja back too quickly. Jadeja picked up an injury in the first Test and missed India’s win over England in Vizag.
Jadeja suffered a hamstring injury in Hyderabad that ruled him out of the second Test. He has been named in India’s squad for the third Test against England. However, Jadeja’s participation will remain subject to a fitness clearance from the BCCI.
Speaking on his Youtube channel, Chopra called Jadeja indispensable, while urging the management to not rush him back in the team. Jadeja is currently the number 1 ranked Test all-rounder in the world.
“Ravindra Jadeja is indispensable in this team, there is no doubt about that. However, because he is indispensable, you don’t want to rush him back too quickly as he will have to bowl a lot,” said Chopra.
He went on to say that if Jadeja gets the green light to play in Rajkot, India might think of fielding four spinners with Jasprit Bumrah. Rajkot has been a haven for spin-bowling with Jadeja claiming seven wickets in two Test matches at the venue.
“He will also have to bat and field. He is a three-dimensional player. So for him, I would say move ahead with caution. If he comes, India might start thinking about playing four spinners with Bumrah,” Chopra added.
England took the lead in the five-match series, with a nail-biting 28-run win in Hyderabad before losing the second Test in Vizag by 106 runs. England will be aiming to become the first team in 11 years to beat India in a Test series in India. Interestingly, the last team to achieve this feat was Alastair Cook’s England side in 2012/13.
The third match of the series will be hosted by the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, starting February 15, before the two sides clash at Ranchi on February 23 and Dharamsala on March 7.
India squad for last 3 Tests vs England
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul*, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
