When we look back at India’s tour of Australia, one thing that has been constant throughout the tour has been the injuries Indian players have sustained. In the 3rd Test of the series at Sydney Cricket Ground which was built up for multiple off the field, incidents saw India’s ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja getting injured.
This is the second time in the tour that Jadeja has been injured, first was the concussion he suffered during the first T20 between India and Australia while the second injury looks far more long term as while facing the quality attack of Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood, Jadeja copped a short ball right on his left thumb.
Though the injury didn’t look that serious at that point in time as Jadeja continued to bat, it was later revealed after scans that the all-rounder from Saurashtra has fractured and dislocated ruling him out of action for at least 4-5 weeks.
With Ravindra Jadeja, India’s star all-rounder out injured, India are in a situation of crisis with England’s tour of India starting on 5th February. The extent of Jadeja’s injury has already ruled him out of the upcoming series against England which is why the Chetan Chauhan led selection committee will look to find a suitable replacement for Ravindra Jadeja. Now, let’s take a look at 3 Players Who Can replace Ravindra Jadeja during the Test series against England.
Let’s take a look at 3 Players Who Can Replace Ravindra Jadeja During The Test Series Against England
1. Axar Patel
Now when we talk about ‘Like For Like Replacement‘ for Ravindra Jadeja, the only name that strikes our mind is the all-rounder from Gujarat, Axar Rajeshbhai Patel. The left-handed all-rounder has been a part of the Indian team since 2014, post which he was also included in the 15 man squad for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as a backup for Ravindra Jadeja.
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But the consistent performance of Jadeja and the emergence of ‘Kulcha’ ( Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal ) led to him losing his place in the Indian Team. Talking about Axar Patel’s First-Class record, the latter has picked 134 wickets in 39 matches with six 5 wicket hauls to his name.
Axar’s most notable performance came way back in 2015 against South Africa A where he bowled 6 overs picking up 4 wickets without conceding a single run.
Though Axar Patel is considered as the one spin who doesn’t spin the ball much could prove lethal given that we’re already seen his economical spells in the past. Patel could hold one end while the other bowlers bowling from other ends could be aggressive in looking to pick wickets.
Moreover, Axar Patel can also contribute with the bat as well since he’s more than just a handy batsman with 1 first-class hundred and 13 fifties to his name.
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2. Shahbaz Nadeem
Perhaps the most preferred option to replace Ravindra Jadeja would be Shahbaz Nadeem who has been putting up those performances in the Ranji Trophy. Nadeem who after many years finally made his Test debut against South Africa in Ranchi in 2019 wherein he picked up 4 wickets.
Now with Ravindra Jadeja injured, Shahbaz Nadeem would be the man who shall be included in the playing XI against England. Even if look at Nadeem’s first-class record, the left-arm spinner has played 117 matches picking up 443 wickets after debuting way back in 2004.
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With Nadeem on the selector’s radar for the upcoming home series, it does depend to see how Shahbaz Nadeem fares against England.
3. Washington Sundar
The youngster who hails from Tamil Nadu is currently in line to make his Test debut replacing Ravindra Jadeja for the Brisbane Test. Sundar had stayed back with the rest of the Test bowler in the capacity of a net bowler, who might replace Jadeja in the lineup.
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In the IPL, we have often seen Virat Kohli use Washington Sundar as a powerplay bowler who bowls those tight lines giving batsmen no room to score freely. Much like his bowling, Sundar is a very handy batsman as he opens for his TNPL franchise Jones TUTI Patriots in addition to batting at the top for his state side Tamil Nadu.
In the 12 First-class matches Sundar has played, he has picked up 30 wickets while he has one First-class hundred to his name. At just 21 years, Washington Sundar could go down to be one of those big-match winners for India in the Test format since he bowls a wicket to wicket line which is the need of the hour in Test cricket.
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