3 reasons why India need not worry despite Ravindra Jadeja's absence for 2nd Test vs England

Team India face an uphill task to come back and level the five-match Test series after a surprising 28-run defeat in the opening Test in Hyderabad.

To further complicate the situation, they will be without World No.1 ranked Test all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the second Test, starting in Vizag on February 2. The 35-year-old was India's leading scorer in the first innings with 87 before suffering a hamstring injury that saw him run out for two in the second essay.

Jadeja joins KL Rahul on the sidelines for the second Test. They were replaced by middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar, and all-rounder Washington Sundar in the squad.

Jadeja boasts outstanding numbers, with 280 Test wickets at an average of 24.42 and almost 3,000 runs at an average of 36.16. Forming India's most successful red-ball Test bowling pair with Ravichandran Ashwin, the Saurashtra all-rounder has been instrumental to India's Test dominance over the last decade.

Yet, despite being in a precarious position in the series, the hosts should have more than sufficient ammunition to overcome his absence in the second Test.

On that note, here are three reasons Team India need not worry despite Ravindra Jadeja's absence in the second Test against England.

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#1 India boasts excellent replacements for Jadeja and a sure-starter left-arm spinner in Axar Patel

Either Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar will likely replace Jadeja in the playing XI

Even as Team India fielded three specialist spin-bowling all-rounders in the first Test with Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, they still had left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav warming the benches.

With Jadeja's injury, the hosts have further bolstered their spin department by adding off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar and a like-to-like option in Saurabh Kumar.

The chances of domestic star Saurabh Kumar breaking into the playing XI are slim, considering the presence of Axar Patel, who performs a similar role with his left-arm spin bowling and lower-order batting.

Axar is also a carbon copy of Jadeja in many ways, making the latter's absence less worrisome.

However, the presence of Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar should ensure India is well-served in the spin department for the Vizag Test. In Kuldeep, the hosts have a mystery spinner that will add more variety to an attack that suffered with a tinge of being one-dimensional in the Hyderabad Test.

Kuldeep's Test record screams of him being the first choice as Jadeja's replacement, with 34 wickets in eight games at an incredible average of 21.55, including three 5-wicket hauls. Ironically, his last Test outing against Bangladesh saw the 29-year-old pick up a five-wicket haul, and the star spinner has a similarly excellent record at home.

Should India want to replace Jadeja with a more all-round option, Sundar perfectly fits the bill. Despite picking up only six wickets in his four Tests, the off-spinner is a proven commodity in home conditions with a terrific domestic red-ball bowling record of 49 wickets in 22 games.

The 24-year-old has impressed in his brief Test career with the bat, averaging a sensational 66.25 with three half-centuries.

Thus, India should be able to still produce the goods with either of the replacements for Jadeja in the second Test.

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#2 India hasn't missed a beat during Ravindra Jadeja's recent Test absences on Asian conditions

India has performed well even minus Jadeja in recent Tests.

Despite Ravindra Jadeja's match-winning abilities with the bat and ball in Tests, Team India has surprisingly managed to win comfortably in his last few absences under Asian conditions.

The star all-rounder last missed a Test for India on the Bangladesh tour at the end of 2022. However, the side emerged victorious in the series 2-0, including a 188-run win in the first Test and a hard-fought three-wicket triumph in the second.

Jadeja last missed a home Test in the second of the two-match series against New Zealand at the end of 2021 in Mumbai. Yet, the hosts had no trouble dismantling the Kiwis as they registered a massive 372-run victory.

India's incredible dominance on Asian pitches, thanks mainly to an abundance of riches in the spin-bowling department, has meant they do not miss a beat in Tests, even without Jadeja.

Notably, the Saurashtra-born cricketer also missed India's famous Brisbane win at the start of 2021, though they came up short in South Africa in the 2021/22 tour and the first Test of the recent tour.

Nevertheless, with their formidable home Test record minus Jadeja, India should be well-placed to level the series in Vizag.

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#3 Jadeja has surprisingly struggled with the ball in his two Tests in Vizag

Jadeja hasn't been at his best with the ball at this venue.

It is not often that Ravindra Jadeja isn't running through opposition sides in home Tests. The 35-year-old has an enviable record of 199 wickets in 41 Tests in India at an average of 21.04 with a remarkable ten 5-wicket hauls.

However, Jadeja has a surprisingly modest record in Vizag, where the second India-England Test is set to be played.

In two Tests at the venue, the star all-rounder has only nine wickets in four innings at an average of 33.66. Jadeja's first Test outing in Vizag came against England in 2016 and he picked up only three wickets in the contest despite India's 246-run win.

His most recent Test at the venue came against South Africa in 2019 and the champion cricketer conceded over 200 runs for his six wickets in the match. While his 4/87 in the second innings helped India record a 203-run victory, Jadeja endured figures of 2/124 in India's first bowling stint.

Thus, Jadeja missing the Vizag Test might be a blessing in disguise, considering his moderate returns with the ball at the venue.