"My first priority is fitness"- Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Saurashtra vs Tamil Nadu

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is set to lead Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy encounter against Tamil Nadu at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. The match is set to begin on Tuesday, January 24.

Jadeja is making a return to competitive cricket after almost six months as he had to undergo knee surgery and was ruled out midway through the Asia Cup 2022.

After recovering and completing his rehabilitation, Jadeja will need to prove his fitness for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The match in Chennai, his first appearance in the Ranji Trophy since 2018, will give him the chance to do so.

Speaking to reporters on the eve of the game, here's what Ravindra Jadeja had to say about his goals:

"I am feeling good to be back on the field. Very excited. Hopefully it will come good as a team and as an individual also.

"See, my first priority is to get on the field and be fit... 100 percent fit. Once I am 100 percent fit, I will work more on my skills, whether it is batting or bowling. Now, my first priority is fitness."

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I wanted a match scenario before the Australia series: Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja's participation in the first two Tests against Australia next month is subject to fitness. He was keen to get some match practice and believes that the game against Tamil Nadu will help him get into the groove of red-ball cricket.

Jadeja also opened up on the long-term injury that he faced and stated:

"I was at the NCA for 20 days. I was doing batting and bowling. Match scenario is different. I wanted one game before the Australia series, that's why I am here.

"Nobody wants to get injured at your peak time. [But] It is part of the game. You have to keep that in mind and be prepared for it. There is no guarantee that one won't get injured in cricket."

Jadeja's Saurashtra currently lead the Ranji Trophy's Elite B table with three wins and 26 points from six matches. Tamil Nadu, meanwhile, are fifth with just 15 points from six games.

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India’s Test squad for the first two Tests against Australia: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.