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Ravindra Jadeja is set to be ruled out of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November.
The senior all-rounder suffered an injury to his right knee during the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE and has been sidelined from the tournament. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not specify the severity of the injury in their official statement.
According to PTI, he might require surgery and is likely to be out of action for a significant period, including India's twin bilateral home series against Australia and South Africa, as well as the T20 World Cup.
The impact of the development could be gaged by looking at his recent outings for India. Against Pakistan, because he was the lone left-hander in the team, he was promoted to bat at No. 4. His 29-ball 35 ensured India clinched the nail-biter.
In the next match, against Hong Kong, he dismissed top-scorer Babar Hayat, giving away just 15 runs in four overs. Not only does the 33-year-old provide the Men in Blue with variety in batting and frugality in bowling, but also offers balance.
Axar Patel, who also balls left-handed orthodox spin and bats in the lower order, was announced as his replacement for the Asia Cup. The Gujarat-born is likely to retain the spot for the World Cup as well.
"You might not be able to do that with Axar" - Irfan Pathan on the "only problem" with Ravindra Jadeja's injury
In a recent interaction with Star Sports, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressed his worry about how Patel, despite being a good replacement, might not be able to replicate the batting flexibility that Jadeja provides. Pathan had said:
"Axar Patel is the absolutely correct like-to-like replacement. The only problem is that Jadeja had become such a fantastic batter that you could have batted him up the order, you might not be able to do that with Axar."
"You will get good bowling and fielding, there is no problem about that, but there will definitely be some issues regarding that change you could have done in the batting. So we hope that Ravindra Jadeja comes back after getting fit as soon as possible."
Patel's skills will be tested on Sunday, September 4, when India take on Pakistan in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: "Will to fight should always be a constant" - Ravichandran Ashwin posts peppy reel before India-Pakistan match
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