Jadeja Rested, Chahal on Hold for ODIs: Shortly after India won the T20 World Cup in June, players Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Virat Kohli declared their retirement from the shortest format. Three weeks later, Jadeja was left off the roster for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to take place in Colombo from August 3–7. Kohli and Rohit were asked to end their vacation early. Does that mean the all-rounder’s white-ball career is over? Is Jadeja only a cricketer for the Tests now?
Just six ODI matches will be played by India before the Champions Trophy in February of the following year. A week before they depart for the tournament, India’s final games of the upcoming season will be played at home against England in addition to the three against Sri Lanka. Therefore, it is not incorrect to presume that the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar did not select their first-choice team for the Champions Trophy, having conferred with new head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Jadeja was one of the few players from the World Cup 2023 squad to be dropped, thus it was considered that he was not in the running for the Champions Trophy when he went AWOL. Nevertheless, Jadeja was rested rather than dropped by the selectors, according to an ESPNCricinfo report, since they told him he would still be India’s top spin-bowling all-rounder.
According to the report, Agarkar and Gambhir did not choose Jadeja for the tour of Sri Lanka for two reasons. The board would want Axar Patel to be as fresh as possible for all 10 Test matches India is scheduled to play between September 2023 and January 2024—five at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand and five in Australia. Firstly, they both want to see if he can replicate his T20I performance in ODIs.
Could this be Yuzvendra Chahal’s last ride?
Although it may have been the first thing that came to mind given that Chahal did not play in any of India’s T20 World Cup matches last month, having last participated in the competition in August 2023, and that he had not played in an ODI for more than 19 months, the ESPNCricinfo report also stated that the legspinner has been placed on hold by the selectors for the time being.
Given the shifting nature of the game, Chahal’s status as a true No. 11 in a lineup across the two white-ball formats has worked against him. Despite being a bowler of elite calibre, the selectors believe he will need to wait for his chance and seize it when it comes.
Chahal’s best chance now that the Sri Lankan opportunity has passed is to perform admirably in the Vijay Hazare Trophy competition, which takes place from December 20, 2024, to January 18, 2025. For the sake of choosing players for the England home series and the Champions Trophy, BCCI would be closely monitoring the List A domestic competition.
