Friday 26 / April / 2024
New Delhi: Kedar Jadhav, the India all-rounder, sustained a shoulder injury in the field during the IPL 2019 clash between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab on 5 May and has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
Jadhav sustained the blow while attempting to stop an overthrow during the Punjab innings, and while he was successful in doing that, he was visibly uncomfortable thereafter. He had to leave the field after the 14th over, as Punjab went on to chase 171. He will
undergo scans.
“Kedar Jadhav’s getting an x-ray and a scan tomorrow. I don’t think we’ll see him again in this tournament for us,” said Stephen Fleming, the Chennai coach. “He’s in some discomfort. Fingers crossed that it is nothing too serious, but it didn’t look that good.”
Jadhav is considered a vital cog in the Indian setup, given his versatility with the bat as well as his ability to strangle opposition with his low-arm off-spin. He didn’t have a great IPL, scoring just 162 runs from 12 innings. More than his form, however, India will be fretting over his fitness.
Jadhav has a history with injuries. A hamstring tear during the previous IPL ruled him out of virtually the whole tournament, and shortly after recovering from that, he was injured against during India’s Asia Cup 2018 campaign.
He is one of four all-rounders in India’s 15-man World Cup squad. Should he not regain fitness in time for the World Cup, India might consider calling up the likes of Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu, who narrowly missed out on the squad.
India are set to depart for England on 22 May. The tournament begins on 30 May, and India’s first match is against South Africa on 5 June.
