Ravindra Jadeja has declared himself fit to start Thursday’s Third Test against England in a major boost to India’s weakened middle order.
Jadeja took five wickets and made a first-innings 87 during the series opener in Hyderabad last month, but then suffered a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the Second Test.
In the all-rounder’s absence, India levelled the series with a 106-run victory in Vizag, but go into the Third Test in Rajkot without KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and the dropped Shreyas Iyer to leave their engine room in desperate need of Jadeja’s experience.
The 35-year-old’s return will allow India to rebalance their side, with one of spin pair Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav expected to make way, but Jadeja admitted he may have to be more cautious than usual when it comes to fielding.
“The idea is to give my 100 per cent but protect my body, try not to dive unless absolutely necessary," he explained. “I can work a little more smartly on my body and if I can do that I don't think there'll be any problems as such. Then again, there's no guarantee. I can go out tomorrow and get injured again. You never know.”
Even with Jadeja back, India’s middle order looks notably vulnerable, with top-order runs from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill the key to their victory in Vizag.
Rahul was initially named in the squad for the Third Test but has not recovered from a groin problem in time, while Kohli is missing the entire series due to undisclosed personal reasons.
Iyer, meanwhile, has been axed after 13 innings without a half-century, meaning one of Sarfaraz Khan or Devdutt Padikkal will debut in the middle order alongside Rajat Patidar, who only won his first cap in the Second Test.
Both Padikkal and Khan have been in fine form domestically and made hundreds in the recent series against England Lions.
