Sanjay Bangar, former Indian batting coach on Tuesday revealed the player who could be star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s biggest competitor ahead of the upcoming T20I World Cup scheduled to be held later this year in Australia.
After missing out on the recent series against South Africa and West Indies through injury, Jadeja marked his return to the national set-up when he was named in India’s squad which will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series from February 24.
Team India are currently in the process of finalising their core squad ahead of the T20I World Cup, and there’s a feisty battle between two all-rounders, namely Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur.
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Thakur was rested for the entire Sri Lanka tour and Sanjay Bangar feels the Indian management will face a few headaches to pick one among the two players.
“I’m excited to be back and raring to go.”
Say Hello to all-rounder @imjadeja and vice-captain @Jaspritbumrah93 as they join #TeamIndia for the Sri Lanka series. @Paytm | #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/gpWG3UESjv
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 23, 2022
Speaking about Jadeja’s all-round capabilities and his return to the national set-up on Star Sports’ show Game Plan, Bangar said, “The more I think of it, the more it seems that it’s going to be a toss-up between Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja. That could be one of the reasons why Shardul Thakur has been rested when Jadeja has regained full fitness.”
The former Indian batting coach added, “Those two players have been doing the all-rounder’s role commendably for India over the last year or so, both with bat and ball. Ravindra Jadeja’s batting has been on the rise for the last couple of years and him being a left-hander can add that right-left sort of combination in the lower order as well, which the team has been looking for. I would say Jadeja is a straight swap for the position vacated by Shardul Thakur.”
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Bangar also highlighted why he would personally choose Jadeja over Shardul, given his recent upturn in fortunes with the bat.
“He brings a lot of value to the team in terms of him being a multi-skilled cricketer and that’s what the trend suggests also that most T20 teams would like to have players who are multi-skilled, who can contribute with bat, ball and in the field as well. I believe there is no better cricketer than Ravindra Jadeja who can fit that bill brilliantly,” he concluded.
