Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravi Jadeja part of Saurashtra's Vijay Hazare Trophy squad

Veteran India cricketers Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja will both feature in Saurashtra’s squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare trophy. The Saurashtra Cricket Association picked their squad on Sunday and announced that the two capped players will be part of the 18-man squad.

Saurashtra finished as runners-up in the previous edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. They will kick off their campaign of eight matches against Uttar Pradesh on September 19 in New Delhi.

However, both Pujara and Jadeja are likely to miss out half of Saurashtra’s fixtures as they could be involved in India’s Test series against the Windies. The visitors will clash against the number one Test side in Rajkot at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on October 4. The series includes 2 Tests, 5 ODIs and 3 T20Is.

Will play the first half of the tournament

Regarding the duo’s inclusion into Saurashtra’s squad, SCA media manager Himanshu Shah said: “Pujara and Jadeja have been included in the squad. The duo will play the first half of the tournament as West Indies will start their India tour by playing the first Test at the SCA stadium at Khandheri here on October 4.”

Both Pujara and Jadeja have contributed heavily in Saurashtra’s success in the domestic circuit. Even in the recently concluded Test series against England, the two were impressive when the opportunities came their way.

Pujara was dropped from the first Test following a lean patch in the County Championship where he played for Yorkshire. However, he was back into the playing XI from the second Test onwards and brought up his first Test century on English soil in Southampton. India, however, went on to lose that Test, and eventually the series 4-1.

Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, spent most of his time as a substitute fielder, as his spin-twin Ravichandran Ashwin was Kohli’s first choice spinner. India had also brought in Kuldeep Yadav, but he was sent back after the first two Tests. Jadeja finally got an opportunity in the fifth and final Test at The Oval, and immediately made an impact with an unbeaten 86 in the first innings. He also bagged a total of 7 wickets in the match.

“The first Test match between India and the West Indies will start from October 4 at the SCA stadium. The two players are likely to miss the second half of the Vijay Hazare Trophy,” Shah added.

While the SCA team management has not yet announced who will captain the side, Pujara is likely to be at the helm. If and when Pujara has to depart for national duties, Jaydev Shah may lead Saurashtra in his absence.

Team: Jaydev Shah, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Robin Uthappa, Sheldon Jackson, Jaydev Unadkat, Samarth Vyas, Arpit Vasavada, Avi Barot, Prerak Mankad, Chirag Jani, Dharmendra Jadeja, Kamlesh Makwana, Yuvraj Chudasama, Saurya Sanandiya, Agnivesh Ayach, and Hardik Rathod.

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