The BCCI selectors have chosen to proceed with Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, which may mean that Ravindra Jadeja’s ODI career is coming to an end.
It’s possible that Ravindra Jadeja has already played his final limited-overs game for India. Following the World Cup victory in the Americas last month, the great all-rounder became the third major player after skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to announce his retirement from T20I cricket. However, the new team administration, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, and the selectors have chosen to let go of him.
Jadeja was left off of the Indian team that includes skipper Rohit Sharma and captain Virat Kohli for the three-match ODI series. In addition to Jadeja, the two well-known players absent from the squad that ended India’s over ten-year wait for an ICC title were Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. However, Jadeja’s situation differs from Bumrah’s.
Insiders say that although Hardik asked for a break for personal reasons, Bumrah was given one because the selectors didn’t want to tire out India’s top all-around bowler. Gambhir wanted his key players available for the ODIs to establish a plan, even though Rohit and Kohli had requested breaks from the entire Sri Lanka series.
With Jadeja, however, this was not the case. The 197-ODI veteran is no longer relevant in the grand scheme of things. “The three ODIs in Sri Lanka are part of the meagre six ODIs that precede the Champions Trophy in the following year. A BCCI source informed Hindustan Times that the selectors aim to make the most of the few games by offering Washington Sundar and Axar Patel further chances.
For more than ten years, Jadeja has been a crucial component of India’s ODI lineup. In the 354 ODIs that India has played since Jadeja’s 2009 debut, he has appeared in 197 of them. For 55.6% of matches, that is. He played in all of India’s home ODI World Cup matches last year. Jadeja has consistently been one of the first names on the teamsheets, aside from the injury layoff and workload management brought on by the pressure of playing in three formats.
About Jadeja’s performance, there are no grievances to be made. He has amassed 644 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 84 in 44 games since the 2019 World Cup. He claimed 44 wickets at an average of 37 and an economy rate of 4.9 while using the ball. In 50 overs of cricket, that is as good as an all-rounder can get. You have what might be called a dream cricket player when you combine Jadeja’s fielding abilities.
“Jadeja gave a flawless performance. We need to assemble a team for the future, so the management just wants to consider alternative possibilities,” the insider continued.
It’s Axar Patel’s time to get up.
It’s high time Axar Patel received his just desserts. He has far too long served as Jadeja’s backup in every capacity. Only during the T20 World Cup did Rohit explicitly state that, as a bowler and batsman, he preferred Axar above Jadeja. Axar’s growth trajectory and Jadeja’s have paralleled one other in many aspects. Promising all-rounders from the same area who, although initially more influential with their left-arm spin bowling than their batting, gradually demonstrated their ability with the willow.
But as a batter, Axar has gotten closer to Jadeja than before. In the past few years, he has seen extensive use as a floater in Twenty20 Internationals, even throughout Jadeja’s tenure in the XI. One of the pivotal moments in the Indian innings following their three quick wicket losses in the powerplay came from the knock he played in the final versus South Africa. An further advantage he has is his ability to bowl when field limits apply.
The management of the team feels that Axar is more appropriate in all circumstances.
Jadeja verified in tests, but there are plenty of ODI options available.
The presence of excellent spin-bowling all-around players is another factor motivating the selectors to look beyond Jadeja. In contrast to Bumrah or Hardik, Jadeja is interchangeable. Axar is first, followed by those like Shahbaz Ahmed and Washington Sundar who are in the background.
Assuming he stays fit, Sundar will probably be the backup spin-bowling all-arounder in ODIs and T20Is. Even in foreign settings, he has demonstrated his abilities as a bowler and his ability to bat.
But this doesn’t imply that Jadeja’s time with the Indian squad is up. He will remain a vital member of the Test team. “When it comes to Test cricket, Jadeja excels. When playing at home, he bowls like no other. The insider continued, “He will be crucial to India’s pursuit for the World Test Championship.