JUST IN: Shikhar Dhawan declared fit for 1st Test, Ravindra Jadeja down with illness

Shikhar Dhawan had been ruled out of the 1st Test against South Africa due to an ankle strain but in a recent news development, reports have emerged that Shikhar Dhawan is fully fit for the 1st Test and could make it to the XI for the Cape Town test.

Earlier, it was reported that Shikhar Dhawan’s ankle strain would keep him out of the game for some time, with him being out of the 1st Test for sure, but a Team management member told ‘CricketNext’ that Dhawan had taken part in the entire training session today and was in no discomfort due to his ankle.

His place in the Indian XI cannot be confirmed as of now, but he has been declared fit for sure.

“Dhawan is fine and there is no discomfort as he hit the nets today. You can see he is moving freely. But a final call on the playing XI isn’t something that I can talk about. That is for the coach and captain to decide,”  the Indian Team management member said.

Dhawan’s presence in the training session wasn’t expected but not only did he indulge in the warm up drills, but made quite a few sprints and batted for a long time in the nets today.

Shikhar Dhawan hasn’t quite the set the stage on fire in overseas tests, averaging just 29.13 in 13 matches, but his attacking style of play and recent form could help him get a place in the side ahead of KL Rahul.

Ravindra Jadeja though is suffering from illness and has been admitted to the local hospital. He would take close to 48 hours to recover completely and thus his participation for the first test is in huge doubt.

The First Test begins on the 5th of January in Cape Town.