A resurfaced knee injury has effectively ended Ravindra Jadeja’s Asia Cup 2022, with the Indian allrounder getting ruled out of the rest of the tournament officially on September 2. Axar Patel has been called up as a like-for-like replacement prior to the first Super 4 stage game against Pakistan on Sunday.
Jadeja has picked up the injury to his right knee again, as confirmed by the BCCI in a media release, and is under the supervision of the board’s medical staff. The board didn’t divulge the details of the extent of the injury or laid clear an estimated time when the player can be expected back on the field.
The experienced player has been dealing with this knee issue since the beginning of the tour of the Caribbean last month when he was ruled out of the ODI leg of the trip and took only a limited part in the T20I series that followed.
India need Jadeja to recover soon, as the build-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November reaches near its conclusion, and the date to announce the final 15 looms large for the selectors and the management. Head coach Rahul Dravid will be hoping for Jadeja’s recovery in time for the home T20Is versus Australia and South Africa. As per ICC rules, India will have to name their World Cup squad before those assignments.
An integral part of the set-up in his role as an end-overs powerhitter on joint fifth-bowler duties with fast-bowling allrounder Hardik Pandya, Jadeja was critical to India’s win at their Asia Cup 2022 opener versus arch-rivals Pakistan last August 28.
Promoted to No.4 as the only left-hander in the top 7 in the absence of Rishabh Pant, Jadeja helped India tide through a tricky chase of 148 runs in Dubai, scoring a measured 29-ball 35 while playing the crucial role of keeping left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz at bay after the tweaker had dismissed stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
In India’s last group stage encounter versus Hong Kong, Jadeja bowled a tight spell of 1 for 15 off his 4 overs, including a restrictive burst inside the powerplay overs and the wicket of opposition top-scorer Babar Hayat on a flatter pitch in Dubai.
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Jadeja would be frustrated and concerned by a spree of injuries he has undergone since suffering a fractured thumb while fending off a Mitchell Starc bouncer during the New Year’s Test in January 2021. From the beginning of last year, the cricketer has played only 10 of India’s 19 Tests, just three of their 21 ODIs and featured in a measly 14 of the 39 T20Is.
Given his importance to the Test and the ODI side, a case could be made for this being the final leg of Jadeja’s T20I career, with the T20 World Cup potentially proving to be the last assignment under the Dravid-led think-tank. Keeping in mind his influence to the side, the team management and selectors may consider prioritising the longer versions of the game with the 33-year-old.
If that happens, an immediate beneficiary of the same will be Axar, who has come in as a replacement for the rest of the Asia Cup. Being a longstanding backup to Jadeja, Axar has always been a capable defensive spin option with his relentless accuracy. But in recent times, he has also taken the next step with his batting, including his powerhitting range, to become more of an attractive option for the selectors.
Axar, who has ODI and T20I economy rates of 4.40 and 7.33, batted at a strike-rate of 151.66 for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League 2022. He helped India clinch victory as a middle-order aggressor in the second ODI of last month’s series against the West Indies, scoring an unbeaten 64 off 35 balls in the visitors’ thrilling two-wicket win in Trinidad.
