Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel-the 2 spinners, batsman Shubman Gill, and pacer Ishant Sharma – are doubtful about the next South Africa trip as they will take some months to be completely fit after sustaining injuries which have prompted the BCCI senior selection committee to delay naming the squad for the tour of South Africa.
Left-arm spin has been India’s strength of late, especially at home conditions, but with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel unfit, selectors may not have a viable backup option in South Africa. Ravindra Jadeja has a ligament tear while Axar Patel has a stress fracture. In any case, Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to be the lead spinner and there is rarely a need to play more than one specialist tweaker in the Rainbow Nation, but a backup should be handy.
Ravindra Jadeja Missed The 2nd Mumbai Test vs NZ And His Ligament Tear Will Take Months To Heal
Ravindra Jadeja missed the second Test against New Zealand in Mumbai where Axar Patel had a decent showing with bat and ball hitting his maiden fifty and claiming vital scalps. A source in the cricket board informed that Ravindra Jadeja’s ligament tear will take months to heal and if he undergoes surgery, he will only get fit before the Indian Premier League 2022 next year.
In its press release before the Mumbai Test, the BCCI had given swelling in the forearm as the reason for Ravindra Jadeja missing the game.
“All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja suffered a right forearm injury during the 1st Test match in Kanpur. After undergoing scans, he was diagnosed with a swelling on his forearm. He has been advised rest and is thus ruled out of the 2nd Test in Mumbai,” the release stated.
It is learned that Axar Patel’s initial report showed a stress reaction that takes a minimum of six weeks to heal. He had a dream start in Tests earlier this year when he took 27 wickets against the visiting England team. The selectors will take a final decision on whether to send Axar Patel to South Africa based on medical assessment after his scans.
Axar Patel contributed with 52 and 41* runs in the recently-concluded second Test to help India take the upper hand against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai before winning comprehensively by 372 runs. In only 5 Tests, he has scored 179 runs averaging 29.83, and taken 36 scalps averaging a mere 11.86.
Shubman Gill’s Shin Injury Has Resurfaced And Ishant Sharma Has A Side Strain
If the selectors have to pick a left-arm spinner, they have Shahbaz Nadeem and Saurabh Kumar – the latter a part of the India A team currently playing in South Africa – to choose from. It is learned that the selectors are not sure whether to send Shubman Gill to South Africa as his shin injury has resurfaced.
The youngster had missed the Test series in England due to the same problem after the WTC Final and suffered pain again during the Mumbai Test. He also took a blow on his left forearm while fielding during the second Test. He was taken for a precautionary scan and didn’t take the field. With Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul as first-choice openers and Mayank Agarwal excelling against New Zealand, India doesn’t have a paucity of options at the top of the order.
Meanwhile, it is understood that Ishant Sharma has a side strain and will take time to be match fit. The 100 plus Test veteran seamer’s returns have tapered off in recent times and several youngsters – most notably Mohammed Siraj – have been impressive of late.
Hence, Ishant Sharma is no longer a certainty in the Indian Test line-up. The selectors were anyways mulling options to replace Ishant Sharma for the South Africa series. It is understood that the board wanted a second opinion on the injuries and the four players stayed back in Mumbai and underwent scans on Tuesday. India will play three Tests and three ODIs in South Africa starting on December 26.
Ishant Sharma has played 105 Tests and picked 311 scalps averaging 32.41. He averages 32.71 in 2021 picking only 14 scalps in 8 Tests. Ishant Sharma had gone wicketless in his last two Test matches.