Cricket News: Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Broad's problems when returning to their Test teams

He missed out on the T20 World Cup and the subsequent tours to New Zealand and Bangladesh, and there is no certainty on when he will return to the side. 

Stuart Broad, the English pacer, has been absent from the England team during their tour of Pakistan, but for very different reasons – he is on paternity leave. 

But he missed out on a dominant series whitewash against Pakistan in Pakistan – the latest conquest of the Bazball era England, which seems unstoppable regardless of conditions. 

For both players, there is the unfortunate reality of dealing with that; in their absence, the team hasn't suffered as much. 

Okay, so India missed the balance Jadeja brings to the team during the T20 World Cup, as Axar Patel didn't match Jadeja's batting ability and was generally smashed around the park. 

But in subsequent series, the likes of Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed have made compelling cases for themselves as being decent fits for the spin bowling all-rounder role. 

And yes, this is an Indian team that values seniority, and thus Jadeja will, in all likelihood, walk back into the playing XI the second he is named in an India squad for any series. 

But at the very least, the selectors know that they have other options beyond him, which is a good thing for several reasons. 

The first is that there's no such thing as too much squad depth. There's also the fact that Jadeja is ageing and has struggled with lengthy injury lay-offs as of late. 

That means the team should be prepared with an apt replacement if he, by any chance, suffers another long-term injury in the near or distant future. 

As for Broad's case, it is a bit different. Everyone knows that he and long-time new-ball partner James Anderson are in the twilight of their careers. 

Having players like Ollie Robinson step up and take their chances as well as they have can only be seen as a plus. 

Broad and Anderson have been around for what feels like forever, but even they know that their careers will last for a few years. 

But, unlike India's Jadeja replacements, Robinson has performed so convincingly alongside Anderson that it might put the English team in some dilemma as to whether or not the pacer should be dropped for the veteran. 

At the very least, it is a problem that can be categorized as a 'good headache' mainly because it is better to have many options ready to go rather than rely on the same players.

However, the decision to either recall or bench Broad will be challenging for the England team management.