Ravindra Jadeja is set to make a comeback to the national team after being named in the squad for the first two matches of the upcoming four-match home Test series against Australia.
He has been out of action for four months, last playing for India in the Asia Cup last year against Hong Kong. The all-rounder was forced to take a break from the game due to a knee injury, which required surgery and subsequent rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Jadeja’s return to the Indian squad is dependent on his fitness. He will be looking to prove himself in the upcoming final round of the Ranji Trophy, where his state team Saurashtra will face Tamil Nadu in Chennai starting on January 24th.
The all-rounder took to Twitter to tease fans about his comeback, posting a photo of a jersey with his name and captioning it “Missed you. But soon”. His absence from the T20 World Cup last year was felt heavily as India crashed out of the semi-finals.
In his international career, Jadeja has shown himself to be a valuable asset to the Indian cricket team. He has amassed 2523 runs in 60 Tests with three centuries, 17 half-centuries, and a high score of 175. In ODIs, he has scored 2447 runs in 171 matches with a high score of 87 and 13 half-centuries. In T20Is, he scored 457 runs in 64 matches. In terms of bowling, he has taken 242 wickets in Test cricket, 189 in ODIs, and 51 in T20Is.
The presence of CSK’s Rockstar will be crucial for the plans of the Indian team’s captain, Rohit Sharma, and coach, Rahul Dravid as they gear up to face Australia.