Team India's head coach Rahul Dravid on Saturday said that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja cannot be ruled out of the upcoming ICC T20I World Cup slated to be held in Australia in October this year. The former India batting legend made the remarks at a pre-match press conference ahead of the Men in Blue high octane clash against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
"Jadeja has sustained an injury in his knee and he is out of Asia Cup. There is still time for World Cup. So, we cannot rule him out of it. He is under the care of the medical team. I don't want to rule him out or make too many comments until we have a much clear picture about it," Dravid was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"The whole purpose of trying to build the squad is that they can play in any conditions. The focus is on tomorrow's match. I am very confident that we have a really good bowling attack as well. Everyone is very keen to try and achieve many things," he said.
Reports emerged on Saturday that Jadeja, 33, will miss the T20I World Cup 2022 as he will undergo a major knee surgery. It is not clear if it's a case of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury but Jadeja's recovery will likely keep him out for six months.
"Jadeja's right knee injury is pretty serious. He is supposed to undergo a major knee surgery and will be out of action for indefinite period of time. At this point, if one goes by the assessment of the NCA's medical team, one can't put a timeline on his imminent international comeback," a Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) official told news agency PTI.
The T20I World Cup 2022 will begin in Australia from October 16.
The veteran all-rounder is a key member of India's squad in limited-overs. In 64 T20Is, he has scored 457 runs at an average of 24.05 and a strike rate of 124.52. He also has 51 wickets to his name at an average of 28.49 with 3/15 being his best.