Asia Cup 2018: Why Ravindra Jadeja's inclusion into the squad is a masterstroke

On September 19, India suffered a setback when Hardik Pandya collapsed mid-way during his fifth over, during the match against Pakistan. While India did win that match, there were concerns over who would replace Pandya. India needed someone who could bowl in the middle overs, and contribute with the bat lower down the order. While Kedar Jadhav fits that role, especially when it comes to his bowling, his batting has been inconsistent and apart from his debut ODI century, he has nothing much to boast about when it comes to batting.

That’s why bringing Ravindra Jadeja back into the squad was a master-stroke by the Indians, although Jadeja was a replacement for Axar Patel. Jadeja played one Test match in the recently-concluded series in England, and had impressed with both bat and ball in the first innings of that Test, including a career best 90.

After being out of the squad for nearly a year, he had a lot to prove and he did against Bangladesh by taking four wickets for 29 runs in his 10 overs.

Bangladesh batsmen faltered again, having come a cropper in the run chase against Afghanistan on Thursday night. The seasoned pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/32) and Jasprit Bumrah (3/37) too made life tough for the opposition.

One of the biggest advantages of having Jadeja in a team, especially in the bowling department in wickets such as the one in Dubai is that the variable bounce makes him a dangerous customer. That, along with the fact that he bowls his overs quickly, thereby improving India’s over rate, makes him an asset.

Hardik’s absence wasn’t felt, thanks to Jadeja’s performance, and while members of Team India may miss the medium-pacer’s enthusiasm, the return of ‘Sir’ in the squad may hold well especially in the match against Pakistan tomorrow