It Was Nice While It Lasted: Is It The End Of Ravindra Jadeja's White Ball Career?

Ravindra Jadeja in the blues of India [X]Ravindra Jadeja in the blues of India [X]

‘End of an era’, the Indian cricket fans might see the T20 World Cup 2024 as a perfect example of this phrase. With the Indian team winning the trophy, three of the omnipresent - Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja brought down the curtains on their T20I careers. 

The scenario of Indian cricket has swiftly evolved after that memorable event, showcasing the dynamic nature of the sport. 

Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India's head coach has ended, and Gautam Gambir has taken over. The next assignment of the team will be the tour to Sri Lanka for a complete white ball series. 

The squad for this tour has been announced, and one of the surprises has been the absence of Ravindra Jadeja from the ODI team. Is the Indian management looking beyond the veteran? Is it over for Jaddu as a white ball cricketer for India?


There is a slot, but not for Jadeja

The inclusion of Washington Sundar and Axar Patel in India’s ODI squad for the Sri Lanka tour indicates that there is a slot for a spin-bowling all-rounder in the team. With Axar Patel proving himself as a game-changer during the T20 World Cup, rewarding him with a spot in the longer format is a no-brainer. Besides, Patel has proved himself with the bat even in the longer format (If you remember his heroics from the 2022 West Indies tour). 

Washington Sundar, on the other hand, seems to indicate that India is trying to find an all-rounder who can be equally effective with the bat and the ball. While Sundar is known to be a defensive bowler, he has often delivered with the bat under pressure at the highest level. The inclusion of either or both of these players in the playing XI adds an extra bit of dynamism and flexibility to the team. 


What went wrong for Jadeja?

Ravindra Jadeja has proven himself indispensable to the Indian Test team in the last few years. His bowling is more than crucial (if there is a term for that) for India, especially at home. As far as his batting is concerned in the red-ball format, his performances have improved over time, and at present, he is an integral part of the batting line-up.

But, if we see his ODI record in the past few years, one can find little reason behind the snub. 

From 2019-2023, Jadeja has scored 774 runs at an average of nearly 37 and at a strike rate in the higher 80s. With the ball, he has picked up 51 wickets in 53 matches during this period while maintaining an economy of below 5 during this period. 

The numbers are decent and look good enough for a utility all-rounder to keep his place in the team. 

However, the stats do not reveal that during this phase, Ravindra Jadeja has not delivered impactful performances frequently enough, which is expected of him. 

One might recall his brilliant effort in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, but beyond that, not much has come out of him under pressure. 

With the ball, too, Jadeja has been economical and efficient, but as far as game-changing spells are concerned, there is little to talk about.