Dubai 3rd September : India head coach Rahul Dravid on Saturday refused to exempt injured Ravindra Jadeja out of the 2022 T20 World Cup, saying that the big sporting event in Australia is six or seven weeks from now, and he does not want to make any decisions too early.Dravid’s remarks are in the aftermath of news reports suggesting that Jadeja who sustained an injury to the right knee and is likely to undergo major surgery and be unable to play in the T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in October and November.
The coach stated that he would prefer to wait and watch while the medical team decides with its diagnosis.
“Jadeja has hurt his knee, he will be out of the Asia Cup.He is in the supervision of the medical teamand he will visit the doctors, consult the experts.The World Cup is still a little way off so we’re not going make any conclusions and either exclude him or put him in.We’ll check out what happens,” Dravid said during an interview prior to the start of India’s Super 4 match against Pakistan.
“Injuries are a normal part of the sport.
It is a part of our job to be able to prevent them.Much depends on the rehab process and the degree of the injury.
I do not intend to exclude him but do I wish to make any remarks until we’ve got more clear picture of the situation and a more accurate understanding about the World Cup is six or seven weeks away,” he added.
The 33-year-old Jadeja played in the opening two matches of the current Asia Cup against Pakistan and Hong Kong before he was on Friday exiled of the event.
He helps the team with the balance they need together with Hardik Pandya with his versatility and played a pivotal role in India’s victory over Pakistan.
When playing Pakistan, Jadeja first gave only 11 runs in the two overs he bowled, but was elevated to No.4.in India’s chase of 148, in particular because he was the sole left-handed batter in India’s top seven.He scored 35 runs in 29 balls in the 52-run partnership with Hardik Pandya that put India at the brink of victory.Pandya then clinched it after Jadeja lost to Mohammad Nawaz in the first ball of the final over.
On the other side, the left-handed batter did not get the chance to play against Hong Kong.
When bowling he eliminated top scorer Babar Hayat, and only conceded 15 runs in the four overs.
In addition to Jadeja and fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel are also not participating in the Asia Cup for India.
According to Dravid the current situation shouldn’t deter them from taking this event as an opportunity to grow and build the team to be ready for the World Cup.
“There are certain key players that are missing from the team.It’s also likely to be the case of two or three other teams which are likely to be lacking one or two important players.This could occur, but it shouldn’t hinder us from taking advantage of this tournament as a excellent opportunity to develop and build our team to be ready for the World Cup,” the coach said.
“And of course, it allows us to be able to in many of ways to examine other players who could be seeking spots or who are in contention and seeking the chance to play in one or two positions, to see how they perform , and give other players an opportunity also.And of course we know that when the players such as Bumrah, Harshal and Jadeja are back at whatever time we will be able to respond to to the situation,” he added.
The former India captain also said that the team’s management team has always tried to create an army of players who are able to be able to step in to help players are injured.
“But should it is necessary for them to miss out , then we’ve developed other players and we’ve been trying to create an alternative, we’ve attempted to form a group, and that’s been our mission all the way through.we’re trying to create a larger pool of players who can be able to step in because , as we’ve witnessed clearly with the type of problems we’ve faced with Covid and Covid and with injuries, you’ll need to have backup plans and you need players who can step in any time,” he said.
“When people are unable to play due to injuries It allows us to build the team and grow that.
Naturally, we’d like to have our players with experience and our top players all the time but it’s unlikely to occur,” he added.
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