End Of The Road For Ravindra Jadeja In ODIs? Cheteshwar Pujara Gives Concerning Verdict

Former Indian cricketers Cheteshwar Pujara and Abhishek Nayar discussed the future of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has faced selection setbacks in some recent ODI series. The 37-year-old was not picked for the five-match ODI series against New Zealand, with Axar Patel emerging as India's first-choice left-arm finger spinner. With a year to go before the ODI World Cup and Jadeja no longer featuring regularly in India's ODI plans, particularly in overseas conditions, questions have been raised about his future in the format. Speaking on Jadeja's exclusion, Pujara suggested it could be the end of the road for the veteran all-rounder in ODI cricket, as Axar appears to be ahead of him in the pecking order.

"I believe so, because if you want to keep Ravindra Jadeja in ODI cricket, then he should have been selected. I'm sure it was communicated to him that he might not be selected because Axar Patel has been the main all-rounder in ODI cricket and is being given more opportunities.

"Looking at his age, I feel the team management might have told him that he is now only a part of Test cricket, so he should focus there, and that they are not looking at him for white-ball cricket. So, it could be the end of the road because, obviously, he has retired from T20 Internationals. I feel he might not be selected just for the ODIs," Pujara told JioStar.

However, Nayar believes Jadeja still remains India's "insurance policy" and could serve as the backup option to Axar for the World Cup.

"Jaddu might not come back into the team, but if someone gets injured, the first name that will come to mind will be Jaddu. Because after Axar, there is no one.

"The valid question right now would be: After Axar, who is the frontrunner? Currently, the frontrunner is Axar Patel, and after him, Jaddu is still your insurance policy. If something happens to Axar Patel before the World Cup, Ravindra Jadeja will come into the team," he said on the same show.

India's crucial ODI assignment against New Zealand begins on November 4, with the series expected to provide the Men in Blue an opportunity to test themselves against quality opposition in challenging conditions and identify their best combinations ahead of next year's World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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