Jadeja 'most likely' to play Ranji opener

Cheteshwar Pujara will lead the Saurashtra side in the Ranji Trophy opener in the absence of regular captain Jaydev Shah. Jadeja is likely to spearhead the spin department for the team.

Ravindra Jadeja has shown interest in playing the Ranji Trophy opener in Lahli.

Left out of the India squad for the ongoing ODI series against Australia, Ravindra Jadeja is 'most likely' to feature in the first match of the Ranji Trophy for his state side, Saurashtra.

With Cheteshwar Pujara leading the Saurashtra side in the Ranji Trophy opener in the absence of regular captain Jaydev Shah, Jadeja is likely to spearhead the spin department for the team. “It would, however, depend on whether he is selected for the T20 series against Australia,” Saurashtra coach Shitanshu Kotak told Sportstar on Thursday.

The all-rounder is expected to join the camp in Rajkot on Saturday, while Pujara — who is back from his county stint — will hit the ground by the end of the month. “I have spoken to Jadeja a couple of days back and he showed his keenness to play the first game,” Kotak said.

Saurashtra will begin its Ranji Trophy campaign against Haryana in Lahli on October 6, and Kotak feels the team has the potential to do well. “The camp has started, and the pre-season tournaments have helped us work on the weaker areas. With Pujara and (hopefully) Jadeja coming in, we hope to get off to a good start,” Kotak said.

Medium pacer Jaydev Unadkat too will be eyeing a successful season.