Rahul Dravid refuses to rule Ravindra Jadeja out of the T20I World Cup

Ravindra Jadeja is our of the Asia Cup 2022 (PC: Twitter)

India men’s cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid opened up on Ravindra Jadeja’s injury status ahead of India’s first Super-4 match against Pakistan on Sunday. 

Earlier it was announced, Jadeja has sustained a right knee injury and is ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. Thereafter, on Saturday, it was reported that the all-rounder will undergo a knee surgery which will rule him out for an indefinite period and possibly from the upcoming T20I World Cup in Australia as well.

India have been unbeaten in the ongoing Asia Cup, having won both the Group games and qualified for the Super-4 stage. The Men in Blue are now set to play their first Super-4 fixture against their arch rivals Pakistan on Sunday (September 4th). On being asked about Jadeja’s injury status in the press conference ahead of the big clash, Dravid said: 

"Jadeja, he has injured his knee. Obviously he is ruled out for the Asia Cup. He's under the care of the medical team, he has gone to see the doctors, he has gone to see the experts."

Dravid not drawing any conclusion on Jadeja yet

The 49 year old further reacted to the reports on Jadeja's injury that claimed the southpaw is set to undergo knee surgery and will be missing the upcoming T20I World Cup in Australia.

"The World Cup is a fair way away, so we don't want to jump to any conclusions and rule him out or rule him in,” Dravid added.

"A lot will depend on the recovery and the severity of the injury. I don't want to rule him out or make too many comments until we have a much clearer picture. Especially the World Cup is 6-7 weeks away now," the India head coach concluded.

Jadeja took part in both Group A matches for India in the Asia Cup before getting ruled out due to his injury. He played a huge role in beating Pakistan in the last-over thriller last Sunday. Keeping note of his all-round abilities and his last performance in Australia, it will be a massive blow for Rohit Sharma and co if the 33-year-old cannot make it to the World Cup, which begins in October. 

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