As team India prepares for the next Champions Trophy, attention will now turn to the 50-over format following a long run in Test cricket. India’s Champions Trophy squad, especially the starting lineup, is essentially fixed. The majority of World Cup 2023 players are likely to take the spot for the upcoming tournament. However, some spots are still up for grabs.
One such slot is for the spin-bowling all-rounder, which Ravindra Jadeja has held firmly for several years. He has been a consistent performer, so other options for this role have only gotten chances when he was unavailable. However, recently trends have changed, and the emergence of Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, equally potent with the bat while also being bowlers primarily, means Jadeja’s place in India’s Champion Trophy playing XI is not guaranteed anymore.
Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel?
India has not played enough fifty-over cricket since Ravindra Jadeja’s final ODI assignment during the 2023 World Cup. The question of whether India is looking past him was raised by his absence from the Sri Lanka ODIs the previous year. The selectors later emphasized, though, that he was not dropped but rather part of the plan.
Over the past few years, Jadeja’s white-ball bowling has significantly improved, and his defensive and wicket-taking abilities have reached their highest levels ever. Jadeja’s ODI average was 57.85 and his economy rate was 5.11 from 2019 to 2021. However, since 2022, he has taken a wicket at a rate of 28.50 deliveries and given up just 4.58 runs per over. However, his batting abilities have regressed significantly, and his power-hitting expertise against pace is nowhere near his peak.
Axar Patel in India’s Champions Trophy squad?
In any format, Axar Patel can be directly substituted for Ravindra Jadeja. Despite being the same kind of players, their skill sets are somewhat different. Compared to Jadeja, Axar’s bowling value is lower in the 50-over format.
Axar can bowl tight lines and lengths and is more of a defensive spinner, but until the deck is substantially stacked in favor of spinners, he does not appear to be able to bowl 10 overs regularly. Despite bowling in 55 ODIs, he only finished his spell 50.90% of the time. With the bat, Axar’s hitting abilities have improved a lot and can be put above Jadeja’s batting performance in the recent past.
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