Ravindra Jadeja, the No. 1 Test all-rounder, is out of the IND vs ENG 2nd Test. His unfortunate exclusion from the upcoming Test in Vizag means that the India cricket team, who are already down 0-1 to England, can suffer dearly in the absence of their most valuable cricketer.
His hamstring injury has left a gaping hole in India’s lineup that no player can fill. Now, skipper Rohit Sharma has a difficult task at hand. Losing Jadeja, both as a batter and bowler, and finding a replacement for him is near impossible.
Having already lost Virat Kohli and now Jadeja along with KL Rahul after the first Test, India has named three replacements: Saurabh Kumar, Washington Sundar, and Sarfaraz Khan.
Who will replace Ravindra Jadeja in the IND vs ENG 2nd Test?
Prior to KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja being ruled out, the India cricket team had incredible batting depth. But now that two of their top performers are out, they will look to further strengthen their batting. This means that Kuldeep Yadav, who is the next spinner in line, may miss out.
Kuldeep as a bowler may be superior to the other two options (Washington Sundar and Saurabh Kumar), but his lack of batting abilities may be the reason why he won’t be picked. His being a left-arm wrist spinner doesn’t help either. Apart from Anil Kumble, no Indian leg spinner has enjoyed success in Test cricket.
With Ravindra Jadeja, who plays both as a batter and bowler, out, the logical replacements are either Washington Sundar or Saurabh Kumar.
Both are spin-bowling all-rounders. Sundar is a batting all-rounder, while Saurabh is ahead in terms of bowling. The unfortunate thing is that neither has enough experience in the Test arena.
Sundar has played just four Tests, while Saurabh received his maiden call-up earlier. If we compare their first-class records, Saurabh is ahead of Sundar. He is way behind Saurabh as far as bowling prowess goes, and he has nothing to prove in his record that he is a better batter.
Editors pick
