Ravindra Jadeja’s time in India’s ODI setup has come to an end as BCCI has reportedly moved on from him. Instead, now, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are now been groomed by the Indian board, especially with the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in focus.
The new team management, led by Gautam Gambhir, and the selectors have opted to part ways with the famous all-rounder, who was the third big figure to retire from T20Is after Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma following the Americas World Cup victory last month.
Jadeja was not picked for India’s three-match ODI series, which included skipper Rohit Sharma and Kohli. Aside from Jadeja, Bumrah and Hardik Pandya were the only prominent names missing from the lineup that ended India’s more than decade-long wait for an ICC title.
Bumrah was given a break because the selectors didn’t want to burn out India’s best all-format bowler, while Hardik requested a break for personal reasons. Rohit and Kohli also wanted a break but agreed to BCCI and Gambhir’s requests to play in Sri Lanka.
Ravindra Jadeja is not preferred in ODIs anymore; Axar Patel and Washington Sundar new preferences
Ravindra Jadeja has been a key member of India’s ODI squad for more than a decade. Since his debut in 2009, India has played 354 ODIs, with Jadeja playing 197 of them. Aside from the injury hiatus and workload management due to the burden of being a three-format player, Jadeja has always been one of the first names on the team roster.
In 44 games since the 2019 World Cup, he has scored 644 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 84. With the ball, he had 44 wickets at an average of 37 and an economy rate of 4.9.
However, unlike Hardik Pandya, the premier pace all-rounder in India, Ravindra Jadeja is not irreplaceable. The veteran of 197 ODIs is no longer in the white-ball scheme of things, with Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Shahbaz Ahmed becoming better and younger options.
“There are only six ODIs, including the three in Sri Lanka, before next year’s Champions Trophy. The selectors want to utilize the handful of games by giving more opportunities to Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.
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,,” a BCCI source told Hindustan Times.
The team management believes Axar is better suited in every condition. If he maintains his fitness, Sundar is likely to be the second-choice spin-bowling all-rounder in ODIs and T20Is. He has already proven himself as a bowler and showed glimpses of his batting even in overseas conditions.
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