The excitement continues to mount as India’s opening match of the Asia Cup 2023 against arch-rivals Pakistan is scheduled for September 2. With their meticulous preparations and collective determination, the Indian cricket team aims to make a resounding start to the tournament and showcase their prowess on the international stage.

In the first ODI, skipper Rohit Sharma made a significant sacrifice by batting at number seven, while Virat Kohli did not bat, leading to India’s five-wicket victory. However, they missed the second ODI, where Hardik Pandya took charge, resulting in a six-wicket loss to West Indies.

Ahead of major tournaments, Jadeja emphasizes the importance of experimenting with different team combinations and trying players in various positions. This approach provides valuable insights into team balance and the ideal combination, allowing for necessary adjustments.

While the return of Rohit and Kohli for the series decider remains undisclosed, Jadeja expresses the team’s confidence in securing victory at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. Despite the loss in the previous game, the focus remains on playing their best cricket and clinching the series.

Jadeja also shared his experience with West Indies’ Jomel Warrican, offering valuable insights to the fellow left-arm spinner. He expressed his satisfaction in aiding Warrican’s improvement, emphasizing the significance of experience in helping others grow and succeed.

Opting to bowl first, India’s varied bowling attack left the home team floundering at sea, as they could only muster a paltry 114 runs off 23 overs. Kuldeep Yadav’s wrist-spin proved to be especially baffling for the West Indies batsmen, as he claimed four wickets for a mere six runs in his three overs.

Despite the low target, India’s chase was anchored by Ishan Kishan’s aggressive 52 runs. However, the loss of three wickets towards the end of the pursuit took some sheen off the victory.

The match provided an opportunity for younger batting aspirants to showcase their skills ahead of the World Cup. Notably, Virat Kohli did not feature in the game, while captain Rohit Sharma joined the action only after the fall of the fifth wicket.

Yadav’s introduction as the sixth bowler triggered the collapse of the West Indies batting line-up, with the last seven wickets falling for just 26 runs. His exceptional figures of four for six off three overs were instrumental in dismantling the opposition.

Ravindra Jadeja proved to be a perfect complement to Yadav’s brilliance, claiming three wickets for 37 runs. Before their spin wizardry, seamers Hardik Pandya, debutant Mukesh Kumar, and Shardul Thakur had set the stage with early breakthroughs, each taking a wicket.

Apart from captain Shai Hope’s valiant effort of 43 runs, the rest of the West Indies batsmen struggled against the varied Indian attack. The home team posted their second-lowest ODI total against India and the joint-third lowest ODI total at home.

For India, the victory bodes well as they are preparing for the upcoming World Cup, which is just over two months away. On the other hand, the West Indies’ batting display adds to their woes, following a disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign in Zimbabwe in June, which led to their failure to secure a spot in the tournament.

“India with Jadeja and Ashwin and if the ball does turn as the game goes on, I think that will play into India’s hands,” Taylor shared during an event ahead of the WTC Final, moderated by Harsha Bhogle.

However, Taylor also acknowledged Australia’s advantage of playing the Ashes series regularly, which provides them with valuable experience in five-match Test series every few years.

“We have seen that wherever India plays around the world, they are well supported. The Australian team plays the Ashes series frequently and has the experience of participating in a five-match series every 3 or 4 years,” Taylor added.

India secured their spot in the WTC Final by defeating Australia 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. The series was closely contested, with Australia narrowly avoiding relegation from the top spot by securing a victory in the third Test in Indore.

Both teams will be without key fast bowlers, as India’s Jasprit Bumrah is sidelined due to a back surgery, while Australia’s Josh Hazlewood is out of the final clash due to persistent issues with his Achilles heel.

Chennai, a four-time IPL champion, set a target of 172-7, a total their bowlers successfully defended by dismissing Gujarat for 157. This playoff match, believed to be the last home game for 41-year-old Dhoni at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, witnessed Jadeja’s brilliance with both bat and ball.

Jadeja, a left-handed player, contributed 22 crucial runs to Chennai’s total after Ruturaj Gaikwad’s impressive 60 on a challenging pitch. He then showcased his spin bowling skills, claiming figures of 2-18. The victory marked Chennai’s 10th appearance in an IPL final, celebrated with fireworks lighting up the sky.

Gujarat, led by Hardik Pandya, will have another opportunity to reach the final in Sunday’s clash against the winner of the second playoff between Lucknow Super Giants and five-time champions Mumbai Indians, taking place in Ahmedabad.

Although the focus remained on Dhoni, India’s most decorated player and a two-time World Cup-winning captain, he has not explicitly confirmed retirement. Dhoni, who has mentored several emerging stars including Virat Kohli, attracted immense crowds donning Chennai’s iconic yellow color as a tribute to his remarkable cricketing career.

The atmosphere at his home ground was electrifying, with fans cheering every move of their beloved hero. However, the excitement turned into silence when Dhoni, battling a knee injury this season, was dismissed by Mohit Sharma after scoring just one run off two balls. This IPL edition is widely believed to be Dhoni’s final appearance as a player.

Gaikwad’s Resilient Fifty Sets the Stage for Chennai’s Victory. Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his impressive form, notching up his fourth half-century of the season for Chennai Super Kings. His innings received a fortunate lifeline when he was dismissed in the second over, only for the delivery to be called a no-ball.

Gaikwad quickly regained his composure and responded with a six and a four, forging a solid opening partnership of 87 runs alongside New Zealand’s Devon Conway, who contributed 40 runs.

Following Gaikwad’s departure, Chennai faced a brief stumble. However, Ravindra Jadeja’s quickfire cameo of 16 balls, featuring two sixes, along with Moeen Ali’s boundary in the final over, propelled Chennai to a winning total.

Despite Shubman Gill’s valiant effort of 42 runs, the rest of Gujarat’s batting lineup faltered. Fast bowler Deepak Chahar, who dismissed Gill, and Sri Lankan bowlers Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana, each claimed two wickets to put pressure on Gujarat.

Rashid Khan attempted a late surge, scoring a brisk 30 off 16 balls, but fell in the 19th over. Pathirana sealed the deal for Chennai on the final ball of the match, securing their victory.

On the first day of the third Test against Australia, Jadeja became the second Indian to score 5000 runs in international cricket and take 500 wickets.

Earlier, legendary cricketer and World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev had set this record for India.

Jadeja reached the milestone of 500 wickets in international cricket by dismissing Australian opener Travis Head on Wednesday. The 34-year-old all-rounder achieved this feat by playing 63 Tests, 171 ODIs, and 64 T20 matches for the country.

Jadeja is playing in Ranji against Tamil Nadu after recovering from an injury. The Saurashtra captain could not catch the eye in the first innings with the bat. He scored 15 runs. He also took 1 wicket in the first innings. But Jadeja returned to the rhythm in the second innings.

Chennai’s wicket has always been spin-friendly. Jadeja used that wicket. Having played for Chennai Super Kings for a long time, Jadeja knows the wicket like the back of his hand. It was seen in this match. Narayan Jagadeesan, father Aparajit, father Indrajit, and Vijay Shankar could not stand up to his bowling. Jadeja took 7 wickets with 53 runs in 17.1 overs. Tamil Nadu was all out for just 133 runs.

In August 2022, Jadeja seriously injured his right knee while having fun with his teammates at a hotel during the Asia Cup. Later he underwent knee surgery. Since then he has been out of the national team. The left-handed all-rounder started batting and bowling practice at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore a few days ago. At the same time, fitness training was going on. After that, the Indian all-rounder entered the Ranji.

India Australia’s first Test in Nagpur will start on February 9. Before that, it will be seen in the Ranji match whether Jadeja is in a condition to recover from the injury and take the pressure of playing the five-day match. BCCI bosses don’t want to take any risk with Jadeja. The board’s medical board members will take the final decision on whether Jadeja will play or not. But before that Jadeja’s form will give relief to Rohit.

According to the press release, pacer Mohammad Shami and all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja has been dropped from the Test series. Abhimanyu Iswaran has been called up to the Test team instead of Rohit. Ishwaran is in Chittagong to play two four-day matches against Bangladesh ‘A’ team. India ‘A’ captain was also in team practice today.

Navdeep Saini and Sourav Kumar got places on the Test team instead of Shami and Jadeja. Left-handed pacer Jaydev Unadkat has also joined the team. Lokesh Rahul has been given the captaincy in the first Test which will start on December 14 in Chittagong. Cheteshwar Pujara has been given the responsibility of Rahul’s deputy in Tests.

Saurabh, the Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner, could be in line for his debut as a like-for-like replacement for Jadeja. He has been a consistent performer in the Ranji Trophy and the ongoing unofficial Test series against Bangladesh A, he has emerged as the highest wicket-taker so far with ten strikes at an average of 15.30. Saurabh can also contribute with the bat lower down the order, as he showed during his 39-ball 55 in Sylhet on Thursday.

Saini, if he is promoted to the senior side, will join Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and Mohammed Siraj as India’s seam-bowling options for the series. Rohit Sharma, the captain, is in doubt for the Test-series opener after having injured his thumb during the second ODI in Mirpur on Wednesday. Rohit has since returned home to Mumbai to consult a specialist but the BCCI is yet to provide the latest update.

After India conceded the ODI series 2-0, Rohit expressed his frustration at India’s mounting injury list. Deepak Chahar (hamstring strain) and Kuldeep Sen (stiff back) are also on that list. “I mean there are a few injury concerns,” Rohit said. “We need to try and get to the bottom of it. I don’t know what exactly it is. Maybe they’re playing too much cricket. We need to try and monitor those guys because it’s important to understand when they come for India, they need to be 100%, in fact, more than 100%.”