Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been battling a knee injury which he picked up during the Asia Cup in August 2022. It took him quite a while to return to the Indian side, even missing out on the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. However, the Saurashtra-based cricketer is set to return to the Indian team for the upcoming four-match Test series against Australia.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will mark the return of Jadeja in international cricket. He had played one Ranji match as well for Saurashtra against Tamil Nadu, picking up eight wickets in the match, which includes a 7/53 in the second innings. The left-arm spinner also has a terrific record against Australia, having picked up 63 wickets in 12 matches against them.
One of the BCCI physios travelled to this game alongside the Saurashtra team to track his fitness and it seems like the player has received a green signal to feature in the series against Australia. However, Jadeja returned to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to complete a final round of fitness test.
Earlier, the player was slated to return during the Test series against Bangladesh and was also included in the squad. However, it was mentioned by the BCCI that his inclusion is subject to a fitness clearance, which he didn’t receive and was subsequently ruled out. A extension of his rehabilitation meant that he missed the limited overs series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
The Indian medical department are also working tirelessly to ensure Shreyas Iyer gets fit before the first Test begins. He was ruled out of the Indian squad just a day before the ODI series against New Zealand began and continues to take treatment to heal his lower-back issues. He was India’s leading run-scorer in international cricket in 2022, scoring 1,609 runs across the three formats.
Jasprit Bumrah is another Indian player in the medical room and he was officially ruled out of the Test series, but a comeback in the ODI series is a possibility.
The Test series against Australia will begin on February 9 in Nagpur. The other three Test matches will be held in Delhi, Dharamshala and Ahmedabad, which will be followed by a three-match ODI series before all the players disperse on franchise cricket duties.
