​Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene points out the biggest concern for India going into the T20 World Cup

​Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene pointed out the biggest concern for Team India going into the T20 World Cup. India's trusted combination took a massive hit when all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the World Cup after sustaining a knee injury.
Rohit Sharma and Co. AP

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene pointed out the biggest concern for India going into the T20 World Cup

Photo : AP
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene pointed out the biggest concern for Team India ahead of T20 World Cup
  • India suffered a huge blow with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja getting injured during Asia Cup
  • Jadeja's absence affected the team's balance and combination
Team India's preparations for the T20 World Cup took a massive hit when all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a knee injury during the Asia Cup. The Men in Blue have been quite a lot dependent on the all-rounder duo of Hardik Pandya and Jadeja in white-ball cricket as their presence not only provides the balance to the side but also strengthens the team adding a couple of more options wih both bat and ball.
If Asia Cup was any indication, the team struggled to find an ideal combination as they preferred Deepak Hooda over Axar Patel but didn't give him a single over against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Will India show more faith in Axar's abilities in the run-up to the World Cup, only time will tell but former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene opined that it will be a challenge for the Men in Blue to find an ideal replacement of Jadeja.
Speaking to Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, Jayawardene said, "It is a challenge. They had fitted him nicely in that No.5 role. He has been batting really well and him and Hardik (Pandya) being in that top six – two guys who can give that all-round options – gave India much more flexibility in that batting order.
The absence of Jadeja has also put Dinesh Karthik's spot in a fix as Rishabh Pant being the only left-hander in the side got the nod ahead of him. However, as the two losses against Pakistan and Sri Lanka showed what India lacked, Karthik is a must in the T20I side given the role he plays, which he does well more than anybody else.
Jayawardene said that India will have to settle these things before the World Cup while reiterating that Jadeja's absence will be a huge loss for the Men in Blue.
"It is a tough one for them, and probably a concern not having that left-hander. They’ve switched to leaving out DK (Dinesh Karthik) and bringing in Rishabh (Pant) in that role, batting at 5 or 4. Those are things they have to settle going into the World Cup. But not having Jadeja, the form that he was in... it will be a massive loss for them," the former Sri Lanka captain added.
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