India vs Australia 2018: Ravindra Jadeja was fine with us, don’t know what happened after he left for Australia, says Saurashtra coach

Ravi Shastri said that Ravindra Jadeja had shoulder stiffness when he boarded the flight to Australia and required injections to manage the problem.

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Saurashtra coach Sitanshu Kotak said that Ravindra Jadeja had “no fitness issue at all” when he played for the team before joining the Indian squad in Australia. (Reuters Photo)

Saurashtra coach Sitanshu Kotak has refuted Ravi Shastri’s claim that Ravindra Jadeja was injured when he left for Australia and had played a Ranji Trophy game with a shoulder niggle.

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“There was no fitness issue at all when he (Jadeja) was playing for Saurashtra. Neither there was any stiffness which you are talking about. Had there been any stiffness or any injury he would have not played Ranji Trophy, or at least he would have told us,” Kotak told The Indian Express.

“He joined the team and had two days nets session before our Ranji Trophy game (against Railways) started. He batted and took part in fielding drills. He was present for four days at the ground. His scores will speak for himself, in two innings he bowled. He batted well for us and scored a hundred too.”

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“If he was feeling any pain or stiffness, do you think he would have bowled so many overs? He was perfectly fit when he was with us. I don’t know what happened once he left Saurashtra team. He came to the Ranji Trophy game perfectly fit,” Kotak added.

Jadeja played the Railways game from November 12 to 15 in Rajkot. In the first innings, his bowling figures read 20-4-58-4 and he later scored 178 runs from 332 balls, hitting 16 fours and four sixes. Jadeja bowled 44 overs for three wickets in the second innings, and also hit 48 to help Saurashtra to victory.

However, Shastri said the all-rounder had shoulder stiffness when he boarded the flight to Australia and required injections to manage the problem.

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