Follow UsRavindra Jadeja was one of the four members of the Indian Champions Trophy squad to have featured in the final round of the Ranji Trophy league stage, but what made many wonder that he came out to bat at No.9 and didn’t bowl at all in the Assam encounter at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.
Jadeja scored 19 with the bat, but his absence with the ball raised suspicion about his fitness for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which begins on February 19, and the England ODI series, which begins on February 6.
However, a Saurashtra teammate explained that the absence was more for precautionary reasons to avoid any untoward injury concerns ahead of the mega event. “He was not injured. We had just rested him on the field as a precautionary measure as he will be part of India’s Champions Trophy squad,” a Saurashtra team member told The Indian Express.
His absence didn’t have a huge bearing on the result, as the Jaydev Unadkat-led Saurashtra secured a thumping win against Assam by an innings and 144 runs to secure their place in the quarter-finals. They will face either Gujarat or Himachal Pradesh in Rajkot from February 8.