Picture Credit: Twitter
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been left out of the playing XI against the West Indies for the first ODI of the three-game tour. The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed the news in a statement released on Twitter. The statement addressed how Jadeja is dealing with a right knee injury and hence will miss the first two ODIs.
The tweet added, "Team India all-rounder Mr Ravindra Jadeja has sustained an injury to his right knee and has been ruled out of the first two ODIs against West Indies. The BCCI Medical team is monitoring his progress and a decision on his participation in the third ODI will be taken accordingly."
Indian captain for the tour, Shikhar Dhawan had alluded to Jadeja’s absence in the Windies tour. "Right now, he has a bit of a niggle so we don't know whether he will be ready or not for the first ODI. Other than that, Siraj is there, Prasidh is there, and we have got amazing fast bowling. In spin, Axar Patel is there and Yuzvendra Chahal is there, we have a good bunch of bowling unit so it will be very impactful," said Dhawan during a pre-match press conference.
In the press conference, Dhawan expressed excitement about leading the side. He said, "I am quite excited to lead the side, whenever you get an opportunity to lead the youngsters, I share my experiences with them, I always love to share my experiences and bring impact in their games. Everyone has the skill, but it is also about the mental aspect and hence I share my experiences."
The Punjab Kings' batter also addressed the team’s atmosphere with new and exciting players. He added, "We were not able to train because of rain but everyone is excited. There are youngsters in the team and they have done well in the UK, so not training here will not impact them much.
“It is a quite balanced side, we have both experience and youth. Suryakumar Yadav for example is very experienced, he is young in terms of international cricket, but the kind of maturity he has, Shreyas and Shardul are also playing for a long time," he continued.