Ravindra Jadeja last played for India during the Asia Cup 2022, when he suffered a knee injury midway through the tournament. Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes Ravindra Jadeja's return is a positive sign for India ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this month. Jadeja, who suffered a knee injury during the Asia Cup last year, made his Ranji Trophy debut for Saurashtra.

With seven wickets in Tamil Nadu's second innings, the southpaw announced his return to competitive cricket. India has already announced their squad for the first two Test matches against Australia, and while Jadeja has been named to the squad, the BCCI has stated that he must prove his match fitness before the series begins.

Chopra, who is known for his strong opinions on cricket, believes that with Rishabh Pant unavailable and Shreyas Iyer's fitness uncertain, Jadeja's fitness is critical for the hosts. "Ravindra Jadeja is free. He recently played in a Ranji Trophy match, where he took many wickets. He is already in the Indian team's training camp.

"I'll tell you why: Rishabh Pant isn't there, and Shreyas Iyer might not be either," Aakash Chopra said on JioCinema's new daily sports show '#AAKASHVANI. Iyer, who was in phenomenal form with the bat last year, missed the New Zealand series due to a back injury.

According to reports, Iyer will struggle to recover in time for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Nagpur. If Iyer is unable to play due to injury, Chopra believes Suryakumar Yadav will make his Test debut in Nagpur.

In such a scenario, he believes India requires Jadeja in the lower-middle order. "Iyer has a hamstring or back injury that he has yet to fully recover from. So, if he is not available, Surya could be in the starting lineup. Hanuma Vihari, who is not even a member of the team. Without Jaddu, the batting becomes extremely vulnerable. The fact that Jadeja is fit and Shreyas Iyer is not is big news for India "Chopra went on to say.