Ravindra Jadeja will play the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne starting Wednesday, but his non-selection for the Perth Test remains a mystery with the chairman of selectors MSK Prasad claiming that all-rounder was "absolutely fit".
Jadeja's 'injury' had become a burning topic in the run-up to the third Test with captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri making contradicting statements.
India played the second Test without a spinner and lost by 146 runs. India's decision to play four pacers – in a match which witnessed Aussie spinner, Nathan Lyon, winning the man of the match award for his 12-wicket haul – was criticised heavily.
In defence, Kohli said that he picked four pacers purely because the conditions demanded it and even a fit Ravichandran Ashwin would have struggled to make it to playing XI.
But Shastri claimed that Jadeja, who is second in the pecking order, the left-arm spinner was not considered because he was not 100 per cent fit.
Now, Prasad has that Jadeja was fit when he was picked for the tour.
"On the eve of any selection meeting, the selection committee is given a fitness report of all the players," Prasad told reporters in Melbourne. "In that report, Jadeja was absolutely fit. So we picked him. After we picked him, he went and played Ranji Trophy also, he bowled 60 overs [64, against Railways]. So there is no question of him being unfit at the time of selection."
When asked about the injections Jadeja took before and during the tour, Prasad said "it is a process," and "whenever a health issue comes up, we have a group in which it is being placed."
On Sunday, the BCCI released a statement declaring a fit Jadeja is available for selection for the third Test.
Indian selectors subsequently named him in the playing XI, replacing pacer Umesh Yadav.
