It looks like Ravindra Jadeja’s career in white-ball cricket has reached the dead end, with the selectors wanting the all-rounder in shape for India’s upcoming Tests. Following his retirement from T20Is after the T20 World Cup win, the southpaw was dropped from the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series, raising questions on his future in the format. However, Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the selection committee, confirmed that Jadeja is not dropped.
“It would have been really pointless to take both Axar and Jaddu for a three-match series. He has had a terrific World Cup. Not at all dropped. Either of them wouldn’t have featured in games had we taken him. There’s a big test season coming up. I think probably we should have clarified it when the squad was announced. He is still part of the format. He is a very important player for us,” Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the selection committee, told media ahead of the IND vs SL series.
Jadeja’s ODI career still has a chance?
As per the report, the selectors have assured Jadeja that he will be India’s primary spin all-rounder. Further, the selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir want to give a chance to Axar Patel to see if he can replicate his T20I form in ODIs. Additionally, they want Jadeja to be fit for all the upcoming Test matches, that incudes a series against Bangladesh and the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Ravindra Jadeja’s Mediocre Form
In 2023, Jadeja played two T20Is and scored only 23 runs in all. If that isn’t a large enough sample size, he has played eight matches this year, where he could manage only 35 runs, at an average of 11. His bowling has been equally questionable. Last year, he picked up only two wickets in as many matches, and his economy rate was 9.08. This year, in eight matches, he picked up only one wicket.
When it comes to the ODIs, he played 26 in 2023 and scored 309 runs at an average of 30.90. But his strike-rate was poor 75. His only saving grace was the 31 wickets he picked up in those matches. But this year he has no 50-over matches to show against his name. So that, kind of, gives an indication.
