Asia Cup 2022: 3 Players who can replace Ravindra Jadeja in India's playing XI

Star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the 2022 Asia Cup tournament with a knee injury. This came as a big blow to India, who are preparing for the possible Super-Four clash against Pakistan on Sunday. Jadeja has been in good form with both bat and ball in the UAE so far but now misses the entire tournament due to an injury to his right knee.

The 33-year-old all-rounder scored the joint-highest 35 runs off 29 balls against Pakistan in India's opening clash and conceded only 11 runs in his two-over spell. He didn't get a chance to bat against Hong Kong in the last match but was excellent with the ball with a wicket of Babar Hayat while conceding only 15 runs in four overs. His fielding skills were also on display as he ran out opponent's skipper Nizakat Khan with a sensational throw in the last match.

He will be a big miss for the Indian bowling unit who are already missing star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel due to injuries. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that Axar Patel will replace Jadeja in the 15-member sqaud but it will be interesing to see if he gets a chance in the starting eleven in the first Super-Four clash on Sunday.

Three players who can replace Ravindra Jadeja in the starting XI:

1. Ravichandran Ashwin

The Indian management had named four spin bowlers in their 15-member squad for the 2022 Asia Cup tournament. Yuzvendra Chahal and Jadeja started in both the group matches ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi. India played with six bowlers in the opening match with Hardik Pandya bowling all four overs but fielded only five bowlers against Hong Hong.

Indian bowlers struggled for wickets against the comparatively weak Hong Hong side with only five wickets (one from run-out) taken and conceded 150-plus runs as well. Now Jadeja's absence will be a big void to fill but Ashwin can be a direct replacement for the player in the next clash.

Ashwin, 35, was a surpirse inclusion on the West Indies tour, but he proved his fitness and form with three wickets in three matches at an impressive economy rate of 6.66. Many former cricketers named Ashwin in their preferred starting eleven before the start of 2022 Asia Cup. He has taken 64 wickets in 54 T20Is at an average 21.5 and an economy rate of 6.78 so far.