Ravindra Jadeja injured himself during the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Although he was ready to come on to bat in the fourth innings, a Vihari-Ashwin masterclass ensured Jaddu’s injury did not aggravate.
Nevertheless, the all-rounder would miss some part of the home series against England. He would specifically miss the initial part of the Test series. He would be available for the shorter formats, but Team India could rest him in view of important series coming later in 2021.
Hence, there will be a few players who would be vying for the spot that Jaddu would vacate. In this article, we talk about five eligible candidates for the same.
1. Axar Patel
Axar Patel was in fine form during IPL 2020. If you look back, a few months ago, Axar was ahead of Jaddu in the pecking order to take up the No.7 slot in the shorter formats. However, Axar then had to face an injury, and a comeback never transpired. Therefore, if Jaddu misses out, Axar must get a chance in the blue jersey. While he is good with the ball, the Gujarat cricketer has improved his batting in death overs. He is also a gun fielder and the perfect alternative to Jaddu.
2. Rahul Tewatia
Rahul Tewatia was one of the finds of IPL 2020. If he shows a similar form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a spot in the National Team could be possible. Tewatia is someone who is adept in both departments of the game. He is a decent spinner, and on his day, can pick loads of wickets. With the willow, he is destructive and offers an X-Factor to his team. As seen in IPL 2020, Tewatia’s attitude and will to perform are world-class. All of this could come useful if he is playing for India.
3. Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya has fallen himself out of favor in recent months. Whenever he played for India, Krunal’s performances were not excellent. And then, in IPL, Krunal was just okay. There are similar players who are in better form than him at the moment. However, when it comes to experience, Krunal can replace Jaddu. The Mumbai Indians all-rounder has a better batting technique than most other available options. His bowling also works well on pitches that offer some spin. Hence, Krunal can be a decent option to replace Jadeja.
4. Vijay Shankar
Injuries have been a bitter obstacle in Vijay Shankar’s career so far. Whenever he gets into good space, an injury happens to the all-rounder. This has happened at the World Cup, in IPL 2020, and even in the first game of SMAT 2021. However, if he is fit, Shankar can be a good option. Hardik Pandya is not bowling, and hence, Team India might need a pace-bowling all-rounder. If the Tamil Nadu player can be slotted at No.4 or 5 and then he be used in the middle-overs with the ball, there could be a viable solution.
5. Nitish Rana
With Team India failing to groom multi-dimensional players, there could be a desire to experiment with the existing ones. Yes, he may not be a like-to-like replacement, but Nitish Rana would be a good option. He can bat at the top of the order and is also well-versed in the responsibilities while batting in the middle-order. Most importantly, he can bowl and can offer a minimum of two overs. If Team India can somehow extract two more overs from Hardik Pandya, there could be a good case for Rana’s selection. For that to happen, though, Rana must do well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
