Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will undergo knee surgery, which has ruled him out of the Asia Cup 2022 with Axar Patel replacing him in the squad. Jadeja’s place in the T20 World Cup 2022 also now hangs by a thin thread as the recovery is going to take time.
The all-rounder is a key part of the Indian team in the shortest format of the game as he has tremendously improved his batting.
Jadeja is known to add the finishing touches for the team and he was recently promoted to bat at number four in the team’s opening game of the Asia Cup against Pakistan. The left-hander had also played a crucial role in the team’s win as he had scored 35 runs in the run-chase.
“Jadeja has injured his knee; he is obviously ruled out of the Asia Cup,” Rahul Dravid said ahead of India’s Super 4 match against Pakistan. “He is under the care of the medical team, he is going to see the doctors, see the experts. The World Cup is still a fair bit away, and we don’t want to jump to any conclusions and rule him out or rule him in. We’ll see how it goes.
“Injuries are a part of the sport; it is part of our job to try to manage them. A lot will depend on rehab and the severity of the injury. I don’t want to rule him out or don’t want to make too many comments until we have a much clearer picture and a better idea, especially because the World Cup is six or seven weeks away from now.”
Meanwhile, an anonymous BCCI source has revealed that Jadeja’s injury is quite serious and he is going to take some time before he recovers.
“He is supposed to undergo a major knee surgery and will be out of action for an indefinite period of time,” the official said. “At this point, if one goes by the assessment of the NCA’s medical team, one can’t put a timeline on his imminent international comeback.”
Jadeja has scored 457 runs in 64 T20I matches and he has also scalped 51 wickets. India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on 23rd October at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and Jadeja will be in race against time to get fit before the mega event.
