File photo of Ravidra Jadeja© AFP
Team India’s premier spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja found himself out of the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series. With there being just 6 ODIs in Team India’s schedule before next year’s ICC Champions Trophy, head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted the team’s veteran stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to be part of the tour to the island nation. However, no such demand was made for Jadeja who has been pretty consistent with his performances in the 50-over format. But now, a report has claimed that Jadeja is already out of Team India’s plans in white-ball cricket. While he himself retired from T20Is, it is unlikely he would be considered for ODIs by selectors.
“There are only six ODIs, including the three in Sri Lanka, before next year’s Champions Trophy. The selectors want to utilise the handful of games by giving more opportunities to Axar Patel and Washington Sundar,” a BCCI source told Hindustan Times.
Jadeja has been brilliant for India since the 2019 ODI World Cup. In 44 matches since, he scored 644 runs with the bat at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 84. With the ball, he was brilliant too, taking a total of 44 wickets at an average of 37, with an exceptional economy rate of 4.9.
“Nothing wrong with Jadeja’s performance. The management just wants to look at other options as we have to build a team for the future,” the source admitted, refusing to blame Jadeja’s performances as the reason behind his exclusion.
In white-ball cricket, Axar Patel had already jumped ahead of Jadeja in the spin-bowling all-rounder’s role while Washington Sundar is also being backed by head coach Gautam Gambhir and selectors a lot. At present, Jadeja is lower in the pecking order in comparison to Axar and Washington.
While the ODI doors seem to be shutting for Jadeja, he will remain a crucial part of the team in Tests, especially keeping the ICC World Test Championship in mind.
“Jadeja is outstanding in Test cricket. His bowling in home conditions is unmatchable. He will be important for India’s World Test Championship bid,” the report said.
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