The much-awaited selection meeting to pick the India squad for the final three Tests against England has reportedly been postponed because of Ravindra Jadeja's fitness status. The Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee was initially slated to meet virtually on Thursday. It was then postponed to Friday and now The Telegraph has reported that the selectors have decided to push the meeting back further to Saturday.
The workload management of Jasprit Bumrah and the fitness status of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were the main reasons for the first postponement of the selection meeting. It is now believed that the selection committee and the team management after consulting the BCCI medical team have reached a consensus about playing Bumrah for the third Test and Rahul, on the other hand, has been declared fit by the NCA. He was ruled out of the second Test with a quadriceps injury. The only bone of contention is now Jadeja.
Jadeja, like Rahul, could not take part in the Visakhapatnam Test. The all-rounder hurt his hamstring while trying to take a single in the second innings of the first Test in Hyderabad. His hands reached his hamstring almost immediately after Ben Stokes knocked the stumps down to run him out. Since then Jadeja has been at the NCA, trying to regain full fitness. While he has made significant progress, he would still require a few more days to be fully fit.
Selectors willing to wait for Ravindra Jadeja
Considering the importance that Jadeja brings to the table both as a batter and as a left-arm spinner, the selectors are willing to wait for the all-rounder's final fitness report before announcing the squad.
{{/usCountry}}Considering the importance that Jadeja brings to the table both as a batter and as a left-arm spinner, the selectors are willing to wait for the all-rounder's final fitness report before announcing the squad.
{{/usCountry}}“The think-tank is willing to wait till the last minute for Jadeja. His batting has shown much promise during the first Test and it is believed that the lefthander can negate the threat posed by the spinners, especially Tom Hartley,” a source was quoted as saying but The Telegraph.
The third Test in Rajkot is still five days away. If necessary, the selectors might include Jadeja in the squad subject to fitness clearance. The general view, however, is that Jadeja will be fit to play by February 15.
If Jadeja returns to the XI then in all likelihood it will be in place of Axar Patel. Axar hasn't been able to have much of an impact in the series so far. Despite being promoted up the order in Visakhapatnam, he failed to register a noteworthy. And with the ball, he hasn't been able to create enough pressure on the England batters.
Apart from Jadeja and Rahul, another player who is more or certain to return to the side is Mohammed Siraj. He was rested for the second Test and was replaced by Mukesh Kumar But the latter could not grab the opportunity.
Shreyas Iyer's reoccurring back problems might mean both Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar could hold on to their places in the side.
As far as Virat Kohli is concerned, it is more or less that the former captain won't take any part in the entire series due to personal reasons.