Curtains for Ravindra Jadeja in ODIs? The all-around fell out of the plans for the 2027 World Championships

Guwahati: India’s Ravindra Jadeja celebrates after taking the wicket of West Indies Alzarri Joseph during the second One Day International (ODI) cricket match between India and West Indies in Guwahati. (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: It is looking increasingly likely that Ravindra Jadeja has played his last ODI for India. The veteran all-rounder was left out of the playing eleven for the third match after returning below par in the first two ODIs against the West Indies. Captain Shubman Gill claimed that Jadeja was rested, didn’t go down, but the writing is very much on the wall for the experienced all-rounder in the format.“I don’t think Jaddu bhai is out. We kept him because we had an opportunity to give game time to other players today. When the series is just three matches, it is very difficult to give experience to the players who are sitting out,” Gill said at the post-match press conference after India’s defeat in the third ODI in New Chandigarh.Jadeja picked up only two wickets in the first two matches and did not get an opportunity to bat. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, Jadeja has played only 15 of the 32 ODIs India have played. He took 14 wickets at an average of 47.92 and an economy rate of 5.20. His bowling returns have plummeted in recent times.Prior to the Guwahati ODI, Jadeja had managed only one wicket in his previous seven ODIs, although that was not entirely unexpected. Given his bowling style and recent pitch conditions, he was unlikely to crack batting line-ups regularly in ODIs unless the conditions helped him significantly.Since Champions Trophy 2025, where he was part of India’s quartet, Jadeja has taken only five wickets in eight matches, with an economy rate of over six runs per match.

He is not in India’s scheme of things for the ODI World Cup 2027. Axar and Washington played in the Asian Games while Harsh Dubey and Shahbaz Ahmed are on the CoE as they were injured.

Source BCCI

His batting numbers do little to bolster his case. Jadeja has not scored an ODI fifty in the last six years. He has made 149 runs in 10 innings since the 2023 World Cup. While Jadeja was never primarily seen as a batsman in ODIs, his batting was an important part of his overall value to the team.In 142 ODI innings in 212 matches, Jadeja crossed the fifty-run mark only 13 times. His main role in the format, however, was as a bowler capable of controlling the run rate. At best he could hold one end, finish his 10-over spell for around 45-50 runs and chip in with a wicket or two.However, this reliability has not been so evident recently.

Guwahati: India’s Ravindra Jadeja reacts during the second One Day International (ODI) cricket match between India and West Indies in Guwahati. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) (PTI09_30_2026_000259A)

Jadeja is now ranked fifth among Indian spin-bowling all-rounders, behind Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey and Shahbaz Ahmed.“He is not in India’s scheme of things for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Axar and Washington played in the Asian Games while Harsh Dubey and Shahbaz Ahmed are on the CoE as they were injured,” a source following the development told TimesofIndia.com.“And when it comes to left-arm spin all-rounder, Axar is ahead of Jadeja. Axar has more wicket-taking ability and can bat as a floater from No. 4 to No. 7 in the middle overs. He is by no means inferior in terms of fielding,” the source added.

For me, Jadeja has always been a useful player. He has definitely improved as a pitcher over the past six months.

Sairaj Bahutale | Team India bowling coach

The figures for the last 12 months also underline the changing order. Jadeja took just one wicket in seven ODIs during this period, leaving him with a bowling average of over 350. In the six ODIs against New Zealand and South Africa, he generally did not complete his full quota of 10 overs, the only exception being the Thiruvananthapuram ODI against the West Indies.Meanwhile, Axar Patel produced significantly better returns. He has taken eight wickets in six ODIs in the last 12 months, with a bowling average of 30.87, better than his career average of 32.73.After the Guwahati ODI, India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule described Jadeja as a “utility player” and said the all-rounder had improved as a bowler over the past six months.

Guwahati: India’s Ravindra Jadeja, left, with captain Shubman Gill celebrates after taking the wicket of West Indies’ Amir Jangoo during the second One Day International (ODI) cricket match between India and West Indies in Guwahati. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) (PTI09_30_2026_000434A)

“For me, Jadeja has always been a useful player. He has definitely improved as a bowler in the last six months,” Bahutule said after the Guwahati ODI.However, the numbers from the 2023 World Cup favor Axar. He took 21 wickets in 19 matches at an economy rate of 4.53. Axar has taken a wicket every 45 balls while Jadeja’s strike rate in his 15 appearances is 55.2, which means he has taken a wicket every 55 balls.Jadeja’s batting role has also been largely limited to No. 7 or 8 in recent times, and he doesn’t offer a vastly different skill set from the other contending options. Axar, his most direct competitor, has carved out a more defined role as a spin-hitter.Since the 2023 World Cup final, Axar has scored 437 runs in 18 innings at an average of 29.13, including two fifties.There were earlier hints that Jadeja’s position in the ODI line-up could come under pressure. Last year, former chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar suggested that India did not necessarily need Jadeja in Australian conditions, given the limited playing value of two left-arm spinners.“There is a lot in the pipeline. But there will be some competition for places. Of course he was there in the Champions Trophy team because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there. We could only carry one at the moment and get some balance in the team with Washi and Kuldeep there as well. And I don’t think we will need more than that in Australia,” Agarkar said.South Africa, which is co-hosting the 2027 ODI World Cup with Zimbabwe and Namibia, could present similarly challenging conditions for India’s spinners. With Jadeja no longer providing the same control with the ball and his batting not strong enough to compensate, the selectors appear to have several younger alternatives.Gill may insist Jadeja was rested rather than leave her out for the third ODI. But with Axar ahead of him, Washington Sundar offering another spin-bowling option and Harsh Dubey and Shahbaz Ahmed also in the mix, the reality is that Jadeja’s path back into India’s ODI plans is getting tougher.Therefore, the third ODI in New Chandigarh may have been more significant for Jadeja than his description of the Indian captain suggests.