IND vs SA: Major Boost For India! Ravindra Jadeja Could Return For 2nd Test - Reports

Team India faced a horrific defeat against South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series. India missed the services of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the Centurion Test as he was ruled out of the match after a complaint of an ‘upper back spasm’. However, as per reports in PTI, the left-arm spin bowling all-rounder is expected to make a return in Cape Town.

After being ruled out from the first Test, it was reported that Ravindra Jadeja was part of the team’s training session on Day 3 and also ran 30 to 40-metre short strides.

Ravindra Jadeja set to return for second Test: Reports

However, the most soothing part of the story was seeing Ravindra Jadeja bowl along with reserve pacer Mukesh Kumar during Lunch on Day 3. Jadeja bowled around 20 minutes on a practice surface under the guidance of practice coach Rajnikant.

Ravindra Jadeja was mainly doing spot bowling and was also getting a bit of turn from the pitch. He also didn’t seem to have any problems while bowling during his 20-minute practice session. However, if Ravindra Jadeja returns to the team for the next Test match in Cape Town it will be a big boost for the visitors.

The Indian team felt the absence of Ravindra Jadeja in the Centurion Test as Ravichandran Ashwin failed to deliver with both bat and ball in the match. Ashwin got out cheaply in both the innings and was only able to pick one wicket in South Africa’s first innings.

Ravindra Jadeja has been contributing with both bat and ball to the team for the past few years and also has a gun throw in the outfield. Jadeja also played some cameos during the 2023 ODI World Cup and now will look forward to returning to international cricket with a bang if he plays the second Test match in Cape Town.

The Indian cricket team was outplayed by South Africa in the first Test as in every department the Proteas were ahead of the Rohit Sharma-led side. At one end it was KL Rahul in the first innings whereas Virat Kohli remained helpless at the other end in the second.

The Indian batters had no clue about the lethal pace bowling of the Proteas pacers and they gave away their wickets playing some loose shots. While Rohit Sharma lost his timber due to a beauty bowled by Kagiso Rabada in the second innings, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer got out to Marco Jansen by playing down the wrong line.

The second Test match of the series will start on January 3 at the Newlands in Capetown and the Indian team will want to end the tour by levelling the series. The Indian team’s dream of winning a Test series on the South African lands will now remain a dream and they will now have to wait for the next tour to fulfil it.

The Indian team also had to see a major fall in the World Test Championship 2023-25 standings and India needs to win the second Test if they want to keep their hopes alive for qualifying for the WTC final.