Ravindra Jadeja Dropped From India ODI Squad? Here's The Latest Update

Ravindra Jadeja was one of the star players who announced their T20I retirements after India’s historic T20 World Cup win. The all-rounder debuted for the Blues back in 2009. Interestingly, Jadeja’s white-ball debut came during India’s Tour of Sri Lanka. Now, it’s once again India’s Tour of Sri Lanka where Jadeja’s place in the team is hanging in the balance. Jadeja’s performance, especially in the shorter formats of the game, has been quite underwhelming for a while now. Now that the player has hung up his boots in T20Is, his ODI and Test future in the ICT is open to interpretation for the fans. All eyes focused on India's Team A standings when the squad was announced for the Sri Lanka Tour. Defying the anticipation, Suryakumar Yadav clinched the captaincy, leaving the likes of Hardik Pandya behind. Moreover, Jadeja failed to find a position in the ODI squad, making way for Axar Patel.

Is Ravindra Jadeja Dropped From India ODI Squad?

While Jadeja sought a perfect exit from T20Is, his absence from the ODI squad casts a shadow on his white-ball career moving forward. Especially with the Champions Trophy lined up for 2025, Jadeja’s absence came as an inkling of his subtle exit from the ODIs. However, team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar cleared the air recently. The newly appointed duo answered major queries in a press conference ahead of the Sri Lanka tour. Regarding Jadeja, they informed that he’s been given a rest. India’s plan for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka is to test Axar Patel's capabilities in the 50-over format.

Ravindra Jadeja is still on the priority list for India’s squad selection. The selectors assured that Jadeja is India’s primary spin-bowling all-rounder. For the Sri Lanka series, the selectors are keen on noting Axar’s ODI temperament. The all-rounder put on a splendid performance in the T20 World Cup, scalping 9 wickets at an economy of 7.86. Thus, the selectors want to try Patel in the ODI scheme of things. Moreover, the duo stated that it’s needless to have two spin-bowling all-rounders in the team for a three-match ODI 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 said in the press conference.

Another reason for Jadeja’s absence from the Sri Lanka tour is India’s rigorous Test schedule lined up ahead. The team is scheduled to play 10 Tests from September 2024 to January 2025. Jadeja, being a crucial part of the Test squad, needs to stay fresh and ready for the upcoming tasks like the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Consequently, the clarity upon Jadeja’s presence in India’s ODI setup has arrived, and the all-rounder still has his place locked in the side.