India started the Asia Cup 2022 pretty well with two consecutive wins over Pakistan and Hong Kong in their group matches. As a result, India qualified for the Super Four of the tournament easily. From their group, one more spot is vacant, and Pakistan and Hong Kong will play for the second team.
India, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka are the three out of four teams right now for the next round of the tournament. Pakistan is expected to beat Hong Kong and become the fourth team. And if that happens, then India will play Pakistan in their first match of the Super Four against Pakistan.
But ahead of that clash, India suffered a huge blow as India’s star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the competition due to a knee injury. He played both games and did a pretty decent job with both the ball and bat.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced his replacement. It will be Axar who will join the Indian team as a replacement. Notably, he was one of the three reserve players for the tournament.
In a statement released by the BCCI, they confirmed this news. The BCCI official said, “The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Axar Patel as the replacement for Ravindra Jadeja in the ongoing Asia Cup. Jadeja has sustained a right knee injury and is ruled out of the tournament.”
Furthermore, the statement suggests that Jadeja will be under the supervision of the medical team, and Axar will join the team soon in Dubai before the next match.
However, Jadeja played an important innings of 35 runs against Pakistan in the first game and bowled two overs for 11 runs. In the second match against Hong Kong, he didn’t get the chance to bat but bowled four overs for 1/15. It will be interesting to see how Axar performs.
Asia Cup 2022: India’s squad for the tournament
Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (WK), Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan
Why has Ravindra Jadeja been ruled out of the Asia Cup?
Jadeja suffered a knee injury and has been ruled out of the tournament.
Who will replace Ravindra Jadeja in the Asia Cup?
Axar has been named as the replacement for Jadeja in the tournament.
Which team will India face in their next match of the super four?
Pakistan is expected to become the second team from this group so India and Pakistan are likely to play the first match of the super four.