Ravindra Jadeja, who had to leave the Indian camp at the Asia Cup after their group-stage games because of a long-standing knee injury, has undergone surgery for the issue. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, he said, "the surgery was successful," and added that he expects to "start my rehab soon and try to get back to cricket soon as I can".
Jadeja was a key performer in both of India's matches he played at the Asia Cup. Against Pakistan, he bowled two economical overs before being promoted to No. 4 in India's chase of 148, specifically since he was the only left-hand batter in India's top seven. He steered India towards victory with a 29-ball 35, and ensured that Pakistan held back left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz's fourth over until the final over of the match. Against Hong Kong, he dismissed top-scorer Babar Hayat and only gave away 15 runs in his four overs.
This is not the first time Jadeja has been troubled by his right knee. An injury to the same joint had forced him to miss the ODI leg of India's tour of the West Indies in July.
Axar Patel had been called up to the Indian team, from the reserves, as Jadeja's replacement, but hasn't played a game yet.
Though it might take a while for Jadeja to get back to full fitness, India coach Rahul Dravid didn't want to rule him out of the T20 World Cup, to be played in Australia in October-November.
"The World Cup is still a fair bit away, and we don't want to jump to any conclusions and rule him out or rule him in. We'll see how it goes," Dravid had said before India's Super 4s game against Pakistan on Sunday. "Injuries are a part of the sport; it is part of our job to try to manage them. A lot will depend on rehab and the severity of the injury. I don't want to rule him out or don't want to make too many comments until we have a much clearer picture and a better idea, especially because the World Cup is six or seven weeks away from now."