NEW DELHI: After enduring a tough Test season, the national selectors will have a tricky selection meeting looking ahead to the Champions Trophy next month. While all the talk has been around Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli‘s Test form, TOI understands that Ravindra Jadeja‘s future across formats hangs in balance.
According to BCCI sources, the team management under coach Gautam Gambhir and selectors is keen on getting a core ready for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Jadeja’s off-colour performances in both Tests and white-ball cricket is a cause for concern. It will be interesting to see if they start the planning for the ODI World Cup with the Champions Trophy itself.
“Gambhir has been very assertive about creating core teams according to formats. As of now, he hasn’t quite tinkered with the longer formats but has a clear vision for creating a strong base for the ODI World Cup. He is keen on giving exposure to a few more identified players,” a BCCI source told TOI. “It’s all about when the selectors decide the transition needs to kick in. They will discuss if they want to go with a safe option in Jadeja or move on right now,” the source added.
The selectors have been on the fence with Jadeja in ODIs. Jadeja’s batting prowess has been on the decline. He hasn’t had the desired impact with the bat coming at No.7 in ODIs over the last two years. For someone who is tasked with raising the run-rate at the back-end of an innings, Jadeja’s strike rate has been as low as 75. He was not picked for the ODI series in Sri Lanka after he announced his T20I retirement post the T20 World cup triumph in July last year.
“Even in Test cricket, he has struggled to get going, though his bowling has been steady. There is an urge to move on from him, especially in the ODI format. It will be a tough call in the coming days,” the source said.
Axar Patel‘s consistency poses a big challenge for Jadeja. He has been groomed as Jadeja’s like-for-like replacement. Washington Sundar‘s emergence as a steady off-spinner is also seen as a big positive but he may still have to do more with his power-hitting skills.
Kuldeep Yadav’s fitness is being closely monitored and the BCCI medical team expects him to be fit in time for the Champions Trophy.
“When it comes to Test cricket, Jadeja is still fairly 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. For the Champions Trophy, selectors will be aware that pitches in Dubai have historically been helpful to slow bowlers,” the source said.
The selectors may be tempted to pick an extra left-hander in the batting lineup. In that case, Axar has shown that he can bat up the order should a crisis arise.
