Gautam Gambhir (L) and Ravindra Jadeja© AFP
Ravindra Jadeja shrugged off major injury concerns during practice and the all-rounder can be in the running to be in the playing XI for the first Test match against Australia in Perth on Friday. Several media reports suggested that Ravichandran Ashwin will play as the sole spinner in the match with all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy making his debut. However, according to a report by Fox Cricket, activity during the final training session on Thursday hinted that Jadeja can be a last-minute change in the playing XI.
According to the report, Jadeja was struck on the midriff leaving the team management worried as he looked in serious concern. However, Jadeja quickly regained his composure following the injury and went on to play the entirety of the session. He was also the last person to leave the training session and he was seen having long chats with head coach Gautam Gambhir – something that many thought was a signal that the veteran cricketer can end up playing the game as a sole spinner or alongside Ashwin.
Ahead of the first Test against Australia of the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth, Indian skipper Jasprit Bumrah lauded the youngsters in the team for their self-belief and confidence, saying that nothing is more heartening then the fact that they want to do the tough job for the team.
The first Test between India and Australia will kickstart on Friday at Perth’s Optus Stadium. Both sides, placed at the top two spots of the ICC World Test Championship points tally will be aiming to make their chances for the final stronger. While India seeks to bounce back after a rare, but humiliating home setback against New Zealand, Australia would be aiming to avoid a hat-trick of series losses to India at home.
Speaking during the pre-match presser, Bumrah said about the youngsters in the team, particularly all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, “Quite positive. They have a lot of self-belief and confidence. These youngsters are not confused or overawed. As a leader, you feel confident that they want to do the tough job and nothing is more heartening than this.”
Talking about the “spicy” wicket at Optus Stadium in Perth, Bumrah said, “We have to focus on what we have here. We have bowlers for a spicy wicket, who can make an impact in any situation. We do not focus on the negatives. If you perform well here, your level of cricket will go up.”
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