Ind vs Aus: Jadeja ruled out, Shardul Thakur added to T20I squad

Canberra [Australia], December 4 (ANI): India suffered a blow ahead of the second T20I as all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the remaining series and pacer Shardul Thakur is added to the national squad.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Jadeja remains under observation and will be taken for further scans if required on Saturday.
Jadeja, who played a spectacular knock to power India to a defendable 161/7, was hit on the helmet in the final over of the innings and the BCCI medical team decided to assess the player before allowing him to get on with proceedings. Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took the field in the second innings of the opening T20I against Australia.
The all-rounder played the role of a finisher to the tee as he hit 33 off the 34 runs that came in the last two overs. Jadeja tore into the Australian bowling in the last two overs and anything in the arc went into the stands as he finished with a strike-rate of 191.30.
The 19th over saw the southpaw smash 23 runs that included three boundaries and a six. Having lost the way in the middle overs thanks to some consistent bowling from the hosts, it required Jadeja to show the way as he sent the Australian bowlers on a leather hunt.
"Ravindra Jadeja sustained a concussion after being hit on the left side of his forehead in the final over of the first innings of the first T20I against Australia in Canberra on December 4, 2020," BCCI said in a release.
"The diagnosis was confirmed based on a clinical assessment in the dressing room during the innings break by the BCCI Medical Team. Jadeja remains under observation and will be taken for further scans if required based on the assessment on Saturday morning. He will not take any further part in the ongoing T20I series," it added.
A spirited all-round performance from India saw them register a comprehensive win and take the 1-0 lead in the three-match series. If KL Rahul (51) and Jadeja (unbeaten 44 off 23 balls) guided India to a respectable 161/7 in their 20 overs, Chahal took the stage by storm with the ball in hand and finished with match-winning figures of 3/25. Not to forget the brilliant show from debutant T Natarajan as he picked three wickets for 30 runs from his four.
Chahal was brilliantly supported by Natarajan as the former changed the momentum of the game despite not being named in the initial playing XI. Chahal was named as Player of the Match for his splendid performance with the ball.
The second T20I between the two teams will be played at Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.
India's T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), KL Rahul (VC & WK), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (WK), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur. (ANI)