Ravindra Jadeja Ruled Out of Full Test Series Against England

Indian veteran all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, who had fractured his thumb in the third Test of the series in Sydney, was expected to be fit in time for the England Tests but has reportedly been ruled out.

England starts their tour of India from February 5 with Chennai scheduled to host the first two Tests before flying to Ahmedabad for the remaining two contests. India recently announced their 18-man squad for the first two matches which saw the return of captain Virat Kohli among others.

However, now as per a report in The Indian Express, Ravindra Jadeja remains far from being fit for the next two matches of the series too while his availability for the limited-overs assignment against England also remains in doubt.

He had gone through surgery in Australia, but he needs at least six weeks to recover from the injury. To come back on the field, he will need proper rest and rehabilitation.

“He is out of Test series and he will take more than six weeks to recover completely. The selectors will take a call later, whether to include him in the team for the shorter formats,” a BCCI official told the paper.

An official call from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Jadeja’s participation in the five T20Is and three ODIs against England will be taken later.

India Announced 18 Men Squad

Virat Kohli returns to lead the 18-member squad while Ishant Sharma, who returned to full fitness and was part of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 playing for Delhi is also back alongside Hardik Pandya, who was not part of the Test squad in Australia.

FJaspritor bowling attack, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur have retained their places from the current series after good showing down under, while T Natarajan, who made his debut in the fourth Test and returned three wickets, misses out.

R Ashwin too finds a place despite not playing the final Test with a back problem while Washington Sundar, a late replacement for the injured Ravindra Jadeja in the fourth Test, also retains his place on the back of his all-round abilities. Kuldeep Yadav, who featured in only one game in the entire tour of Australia also retains his place. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel has also been added to the squad.

India Squad for First Two Tests: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel