IND vs ENG: Big Blow For India as Ravindra Jadeja Might Miss 2nd Test With Hamstring Niggle

India started the five-match Test series against England on the wrong note with a 28-run defeat in Hyderabad. Apart from the loss, India also suffered a big blow with Ravindra Jadeja sustaining a hamstring niggle.

Jadeja was the highest-run-getter for India in the first innings with an 87-run knock while the southpaw also claimed five wickets in the match. Meanwhile, during the 231-run chase, England captain Ben Stokes’s direct hit ended Jadeja’s stay as he was dismissed for just 2.

Jadeja might have snapped a hamstring muscle as he immediately felt the area trying to go for a quick single. He didn’t look comfortable and head coach Rahul Dravid, wasn’t forthcoming about the extent of the damage.

Also Read | Sensational England Humble Mighty India in Dramatic Hyderabad Test to Take Shock 1-0 Lead

“We’ll see. I honestly haven’t had a chance to speak to the physio as yet. Once I get back, I’ll speak to him and see what it is about,” Dravid said at the post-match media conference.

The extent of the hamstring injury decides the duration of lay-off but even if it is not a tear and just merely strain, it still might be advisable to give him rest for a week if not more.

The second Test match between India and England will start on February 2 at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam

It is still not clear whether Jadeja will travel with the team to Vizag or head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, Jadeja also missed out on the first Test match against South Africa in December last year after suffering a back spasm.

The southpaw’s 87-run knock helped India take a 190-run lead in the first innings but they failed to capitalise on it and lost the match by 28 runs.

Ollie Pope’s brilliant 196 took England to 420 in their second innings, and gave them a substantial lead and genuine hopes of stretching India. And England did way more than stretching the hosts.

India’s chase of 231 went horribly south once Hartley (7/62) spun into India’s top-order, igniting a rot that saw India getting bowled out for 202 in the final over of the day. England now lead the five-match series 1-0.

This is India’s fourth defeat in home Tests since 2013 and first ever in Hyderabad across two venues in the city.