Veteran Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is very close to making a comeback for his country after being sidelined for several months and missing the majority of the 2022 season. After being out of action for five months, the senior all-rounder will take the field for the first time in a competitive game. Saurashtra’s final Ranji Trophy group match will include Jadeja as their captain. At the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, the Jadeja-led Saurashtra team will square off against Tamil Nadu in an effort to claim first place in Elite Group B.
In 2022, Jadeja underwent knee surgery. He is now the captain of Saurashtra in the absence of seasoned players Jaydev Unadkat and Cheteshwar Pujara. The Indian southpaw’s most recent international appearance was in August’s Asia Cup for Team India, which is coached by Rohit Sharma. In a press conference before the Ranji Trophy Group B match against Tamil Nadu, star all-rounder Jadeja stated that he is prioritizing match fitness in order to be as effective as possible against Australia.
“I am feeling good to be back on the field. Very excited. Hopefully, it will come well as a team and as an individual also. See my first priority is to get on the field and be fit…100 percent fit. Once I am 100 percent fit, I will work more on my skills, whether it is batting or bowling. Now, my first priority is fitness. I was at the NCA for 20 days. I was batting and bowling. The match scenario is different. I wanted one game before the Australia series, that’s why I am here,” Jadeja said ahead of the Ranji Trophy match in Chennai.
Jadeja disclosed that he was out for five months due to a ligament problem. If the seasoned all-rounder hopes to be available for the series opener against Australia on February 2 in Nagpur, he will need to demonstrate his match fitness. Subject to fitness, he has been selected for the first two Tests.
“You feel bad. Nobody wants to get injured at your peak time. It is part of the game. You have to keep that in mind and be prepared for it. You can’t do anything. There is no guarantee that one won’t get injured in cricket. It was a ligament tear. It is coming good. I am slowly getting confident. As I said, a match is a different thing. Different ball game…I will try to give my 100 percent. I will try to go slowly, slowly. Let’s see how my leg is feeling and then we will see,” Jadeja added.
While away from cricket, the left-handed batter and left-arm spinner ran a campaign for his wife in the Gujarat elections, saying it helped him. “Fortunately, I was busy with some other things. My full focus was there. It helped me a lot. I was also not thinking too much about cricket. Those initial three months after I got injured and got done with my surgery, I was busy with some election things. That helped me a lot. I wasn’t really watching [India] matches. But a few games I did see.”
