Ravindra Jadeja, India’s star all-rounder, has been away from cricket for a long time owing to a knee injury. He suffered a freak injury in his knee during the Asia Cup in September last year. He even had to miss out on the all-important 20-20 World Cup 2022 played in Australia.
To be completely treated, the injury necessitated surgery. Rather than flying to Australia, Jadeja underwent surgery and then went to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for rehabilitation. After demonstrating his fitness in a Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu, where he took 7 wickets in the second innings, Jadeja is back in contention for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which begins on Tuesday in Nagpur.
You do start wondering if you will ever be fully fit: Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja gave an insight into his thoughts during the rehab phase and how physiotherapists and trainers at the NCA helped him get back to full fitness ahead of the Test series opener.
“Rehab, training and stuff, are things that you have to do regularly and you do start wondering if you will ever be fully fit. I was watching the World Cup on television and was thinking, ‘Arey yaar, I wish I was there’. These kinds of thoughts come to your mind and they motivate you to go through rehab and training and get back to full fitness quickly,” Jadeja told the Indian Cricket Board.
“Physios and the trainers at the NCA worked a lot on my knee. They gave me so much time and even if it was off on Sundays at the NCA, they would especially come for me. They have worked a lot on me. Like, for two, three weeks, I used to be in Bangalore, then I would go back home to freshen up my mind.”
“I had to be in Bangalore as much as possible so that it helps me in my faster recovery. But two months post the injury was very tough as I wasn’t able to walk or go somewhere. So, that time was very critical and, in this phase, my friends, and family were always there for me,” Jadeja added.
