Ravindra Jadeja is set to lead Saurashtra against Tamil Nadu on Tuesday in the absence of regular skipper Jaydev Unadkat, Sportstar has learnt. Arpit Vasavada is expected to be his deputy.
Jadeja joined the team on Sunday, announcing his arrival in Chennai — he plays for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL — with a tweet.
The 2019-20 champion will play the final round of the Ranji Trophy starting January 24 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Unadkat and Cheteshwar Pujara have been rested for the upcoming match.
The Elite Group B fixture will be Jadeja’s return to competitive cricket after being on the sidelines since August 2022 due to a knee injury. It is also Jadeja’s first Ranji Trophy match since November 2018.
Jadeja was recently named in the 17-man Test squad for the first two Tests of the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy and will use the four-day game as a tune-up for the Test series. India’s hope of reaching the WTC final hinges on how it fares against Australia.
Meanwhile, Saurashtra, top of its group with 26 points, comes into this match on the back of a 150-run loss against Andhra at home. It is all but through to the last eight. Tamil Nadu, though out of quarterfinals race, will be riding the confidence wave after beating Assam by an innings and 70 runs.
