Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s future in international cricket hangs in the balance after his poor returns with bat and ball across formats. Jadeja is not yet believed to be confirmed for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the transition in Indian cricket with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the helm. Rohit and Kohli endured a poor home and away Test season recently, which has left the selectors wondering about their futures.
However, Jadeja’s future is also in doubt. The all-rounder is one of the few senior members of the team and is still an active player in Test and ODI cricket. Jadeja retired from T20Is after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 title last year.
Read also: Australia’s Test squad for Sri Lanka announced; The career of a great all-rounder is over
Ravindra Jadeja’s participation in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 under serious doubt
According to the BCCI, the Indian team management led by head coach Gautam Gambhir wants to prepare a strong core for the ODI World Cup 2027. The preparations for the tournament are likely to start from the Trophy of Champions 2025.
Ravindra Jadeja has not been at his best in Tests and ODIs recently. Although he has played a few vital innings with the bat in Tests, his returns in ODI cricket have been dwindling of late.
At No. 7, he hasn’t created much of an impact with his lower-order hitting and has a strike rate of just 75 over the past two years. He was not selected for India’s ODI series in Sri Lanka last year as Axar Patel was picked over him.
A BCCI source revealed Gautam Gambhir’s vision for India’s upcoming ODIs. The source claimed that Gambhir wants to create a strong foundation for the ODI World Cup and Jadeja’s future will also be decided.
“(Gautam) Gambhir has been very assertive in building core teams across formats. He is not done playing the longer formats as of now, but he has a clear vision to create a strong foundation for the ODI World Cup. about giving exposure to a few more identified players,” the BCCI source told TOI.
“It’s about when the selectors decide that the transition needs to start. They will discuss whether they want to go with a safe option in Jadeja or move on now,” he added.
Jadeja is likely to remain in Tests
While Ravindra Jadeja’s Champions Trophy is in doubt, he is still in contention for the Test series against England in June because of his experience in a fragile middle order. He might get the Champions Trophy award because of the spin-friendly pitches in Dubai.
“When it comes to Test cricket, Jadeja is still quite in contention for the England tour due to lack of experience in the middle order. But the selectors will have to take a call during the home season,” the source said.
“For the Champions Trophy, the selectors will be aware that the pitches in Dubai have historically been useful for slower bowlers,” he added.
Axar Patel is likely to replace Ravindra Jadeja
Axar Patel is seen as Ravindra Jadeja’s replacement as the left arm bowler. Patel’s batting and bowling have grown over the years and he has shown that he has the skills required for international cricket.
Axar was also preferred over Jadeja in the T20 World Cup 2024. Although both played in the tournament, Axar was Rohit Sharma’s preferred choice both in batting and bowling. He is likely to replace Ravindra Jadeja in different games.
Patel has also been promoted up the batting order at times. The source also confirmed that Kuldeep Yadav is likely to be fit ahead of the Champions Trophy and his fitness has been closely monitored.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played from February 19 to March 9. The tournament will be jointly hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Most of the matches will be played in Pakistan but India’s matches will be played in Dubai.
