On Day 3, Jadeja participated in the warm-up before the formalities got underway. The all-rounder player didn’t appear to be comfortable at all. There is a bright spot for Team India in the shape of Ravindra Jadeja, despite all the heartbreaks of losing by an innings and 32 runs against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test and all the news the next day of losing more WTC points because of a sluggish over rate.
The star all-rounder has resumed training and is probably going to be fit for selection for the New Year’s Test in Cape Town. He missed the series opener in Centurion owing to an upper back spasm that he felt on the morning of the Test match. Due to his better batting ability in foreign conditions, Jadega was always the favorite at No. 7 over R Ashwin; nonetheless, India was forced to start the first Test with their best spinner. In conditions that were not ideal for spinners, Ashwin performed rather well with the ball, going 1 for 41 in his 19 overs. However, India felt that Jadeja was missing at the bat.
With the ball, the left-hander might have performed a similar hold-up job, but he was more suited to manage the pace and bounces of the South African fast bowlers with the bat. According to the news agency, on Day 3, Jadeja participated in the warm-up before the competition got underway. During the morning session, the all-rounder ran several short strides of 30 to 40 meters without appearing to be in any kind of discomfort. Throughout the lesson, he also performed a few fitness drills.
The thing that gave me the most comfort, though, was seeing him bowl during the third day’s lunch break. Rajnikant, the team’s health and condition coach, watched closely as Jadeja bowled on a practice track for nearly twenty minutes alongside backup pacer Mukesh Kumar. Despite having a two-step run-up, he was mostly spot-bowling.The best thing was that he didn’t appear nervous at all when he was bowling during the little session.
In the four days remaining before the second and final Test in Cape Town, there is a good chance that Jadeja will make a comeback. However, it is unlikely that he will replace Ashwin; following Shardul Thakur’s impressive performance as the fourth seamer, the Indian team management would expect Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah to strike from the other end. Additionally, India has called up Avesh Khan, who was already in South Africa with the India A team, for the Cape Town Test. The essential guarantee is that Prasidh Krishan won’t likely continue in his position. In the upcoming Test, India’s bowling arsenal might appear different with two spinners and three seamers in the lineup. Additionally, as the match goes on, the Cape Town ground should be favorable for spinners.
