Ravindra Jadeja Dropped for Australia Tour: Is His ODI Career Over?

India's ODI team for the next three-match series against Australia has been revealed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). A significant change in Indian cricket began earlier this year when Shubman Gill, the Test captain of India, was named captain of the ODI team for the Australia tour.

Just after India defeated the West Indies in the first Test match in Ahmedabad, Ajit Agarkar, the head of the BCCI's selectors, announced India's squad during a news conference. The ODI team promoted Shreyas Iyer to the vice-captaincy role. He did not, however, join the T20I team.

Is Ravindra Jadeja Not in India's Plans for ICC World Cup 2027?

All-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, as well as wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, were among the other notable absences. While Pant is currently recovering from a fractured foot, Pandya was out for the Australia tour due to an injury he acquired during the last group-stage encounter of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka.

However, Jadeja was dropped off the team as the selectors chose Axar Patel as their main all-round spin bowler. Agarkar discussed his decision not to choose Jadeja, claiming that Axar Patel currently leads the squad owing to fierce competition. However, he did not put him out of contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Ajit Agarkar made it clear during the news conference that followed the squad announcement that the decision to not include Jadeja was a calculated move rather than a reflection on his skill or form. Balance was crucial because India could not afford to carry three spinners for a brief three-match series with Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar already in the team.

“Right now, we could only take one left-arm spinner for the Australia series. It wasn’t possible to fit in two. Ravindra Jadeja is absolutely in our plans — everyone knows how good he is and what he offers as an all-rounder and a fielder. This is a short series - you can’t fit everyone in. Jadeja’s quality is unquestioned. He’s very much part of our plans going forward," Agarkar stated in the press conference.

Why is Ravindra Jadeja Dropped From India's ODI Squad?

After winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, Jadeja hung up his boots from the shortest format, just like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of the best cricketers in the world. But until now, he was untouched in the other two formats. Axar Patel, a key member of the T20I squad previously, has been selected above Jadeja, who has played 204 ODIs for India. Jadeja picked up five wickets in five games during India's victorious Champions Trophy campaign, averaging 36.60 with an economy rate of 4.35.

Ravindra Jadeja ODI career has been highly successfull and he is arguably one of the best all-rounders in the world. However, he doesn't boast a proud record in Australia. He has an average of 71.2 with the ball. After 24 innings since 2022, he has only amassed 395 runs at a strike rate of less than 77, demonstrating his inability to exert authority even with the bat.

Meanwhile, Axar has often come in with clutch batting and ball performances. Because of his significant improvement in spin hitting, he is a perfect batter to have in case of collapse. With an eye towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, Agarkar stated that Jadeja will continue to play a significant role in India's ODI preparations even if he will miss this trip of Australia.