All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who retired from T20 Internationals after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 glory, is no longer part of the team’s plans for the One-Day Internationals, Hindustan Times reported Saturday.
India, on Thursday, named a full-fledged squad for their upcoming three-match away ODI series against Sri Lanka with Jadeja a notable exclusion.
According to a source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the national men’s team’s selectors, led by newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir, want to provide ample opportunities to Axar Patel and Washington Sundar ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to take place in Pakistan.
“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,” Hindustan Times quoted a BCCI source.
Ravindra Jadeja boasts a formidable all-round record in ODIs, scoring 644 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 84 since India’s gut-wrenching defeat against New Zealand in the ICC Men’s World Cup 2019.
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His performance with the ball has also been up to the mark, picking 44 wickets at an average of 37 and an economy of 4.9 economy.
Consequently, the source dismissed the notion that Jadeja’s performance may be the reason behind his exclusion and reiterated that the management wants to explore new options.
“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 added.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja would continue to remain a pivotal part of India’s Test side, who are favourites to feature in the third consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
“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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