Mohammad Kaif says Ravindra Jadeja will be 'missed dearly' by India in last two T20Is

Mohammad Kaif has said that Team India will miss the services of Ravindra Jadeja for the remainder of the T20I series as he has been ruled out because of having sustained a concussion after being hit on the left side of his forehead by an awkward bouncer from Mitchell Starc in the final over of the first innings of the first T20I  at the Manuka Oval, Canberra on Friday. The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially confirmed that the star all-rounder will not take any further part in the series.

'India will miss him dearly'

Taking to the micro-blogging site, Kaif wrote that for two successive games (3rd ODI & 1st T20I),  the prolific middle-order batsman has shown why he is of so much value to India in white-ball cricket as he provides much-needed balance. 

The cricketer-turned-commentator/analyst further added that the Saurashtra all-rounder continues to be grossly underrated and deserves a lot more respect than he gets even after having played international cricket for 11 years. The hero of the 2002 Natwest tri-series final concluded by saying he feels that India will miss Jaddu dearly.

Meanwhile, pacer Shardul Thakur has been added to the Indian T20I squad as Jadeja's replacement. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has added the young pacer in the squad for the shortest format. 

'Jadeja remains under observation'

"The diagnosis was confirmed based on a clinical assessment in the dressing room during the innings break by the BCCI Medical Team. Jadeja remains under observation and will be taken for further scans if required based on the assessment on Saturday morning. He will not take any further part in the ongoing T20I series", the BCCI statement read.

READ: Ravindra Jadeja Ruled Out, Shardul Thakur Named Replacement For T20I Series

Jadeja's stellar yet impactful cameo

Jaddu had played a great knock under pressure when it seemed that India would be restricted to a manageable total after being put in to bat by Australian skipper Aaron Finch. However, Ravi Jadeja had other ideas as he took the bowlers to the cleaners with a few delightful strokes. His unbeaten knock consisted of five boundaries and a maximum as the Virat Kohli-led side finished their innings at 161/7 from their 50 overs.

Nonetheless, Jaddu's concussion replacement Yuzvendra Chahal bowled an outstanding spell as he finished with figures of 3/25 from his four overs His scalps included the likes of the frontline batsmen-skipper Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, and Matthew Wade in the middle-order.

India won the contest by 11 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The Virat Kohli-led side will be hoping to seal the three-match series when both sides lock horns in the second T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

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