NEW DELHI: The Indian cricket team has some good news amid the misery after a crushing loss: veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja may be eligible for the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town, which begins on January 3.
Jadeja reported having a "upper back spasm" in the morning of the first Test match at Supersport Park, therefore he was unable to play.
Those in attendance on the third day of the first Test, however, witnessed Jadeja taking part in the warm-up before play got underway.
Throughout the morning session, the all-rounder ran several short strides of 30 to 40 meters without appearing to be in any kind of trouble.
Throughout the session, he also performed a few fitness drills.
The thing that gave the most comfort, though, was seeing him bowl during the third day's lunch break. Rajnikant, the team's health and conditioning coach, watched closely as Jadeja bowled on a practice track for nearly twenty minutes alongside backup pacer Mukesh Kumar.
Despite having a two-step run-up, he was mostly spot-bowling.
In addition to often hitting the mark, he was also observed turning a few.
The best thing was that he didn't appear nervous at all when he was bowling during the little session.
India missed Jadeja the all-rounder during their humiliating innings and 32-run defeat in the opening Test.
Ravichandran Ashwin bowled 19 overs for 1 for 40, but Dean Elgar and Marco Jansen played him comfortably, so he never really looked dangerous.
While Jadeja, the bowler, may not have caused much harm, as a batsman he could have had an impact. He has produced some solid runs at Nos. 6 and 7 in SENA countries.
There is a good likelihood he will play the match because the second Test is set to begin in four days.
(With PTI inputs)
