Ravindra Jadeja is reaching the end of his ODI career as he is no longer a part of India’s plan for the 50-over format, reported Hindustan Times on Saturday.
Jadeja was not included in India’s ODI squad for Sri Lanka which will be played in the first week of August.
According to a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source, the selectors, led by new head coach Gautam Gambhir, want to give maximum chances to Axar Patel and Washington Sundar before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is set to be played in Pakistan from February to March.
"There are only six ODIs, including the three in Sri Lanka, before next year's Champions Trophy. The selectors want to utilise the handful of games by giving more opportunities to Axar Patel and Washington Sundar," a BCCI source told Hindustan Times.
Since the 2019 ODI World Cup, where India lost to New Zealand in the semi-final, Jadeja has scored he scored 644 runs with the bat at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 84. Meanwhile, with the ball, he has bagged 44 wickets at an average of 37 and 4.9 economy.
"Nothing wrong with Jadeja's performance. The management just wants to look at other options as we have to build a team for the future," the source admitted, refusing to blame Jadeja's performances as the reason behind his exclusion.
Despite losing the ODI spot, Jadeja will remain part of the team in red-ball cricket as India look like the favourite to play the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final.
"Jadeja is outstanding in Test cricket. His bowling in home conditions is unmatchable. He will be important for India's World Test Championship bid," the report said.
Earlier this year, Jadeja announced retirement from T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup 2024 in Bridgetown, West Indies.
Jadeja, who represented India in 74 T20Is, decided to call time on his T20I career saying that winning the World Cup was a dream come true.
- Ravindra Jadeja