Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Subramaniam Badrinath has strongly backed the selection committee, led by Pragyan Ojha, for excluding veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja from the forthcoming ODI series on the New Zealand tour.
It’s worth noting that Jadeja was recently part of the ODI squad in the West Indies series at home. However, he couldn’t make an impact and was ultimately axed from the squad for the upcoming series.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Badrinath asserted that selectors shouldn’t have picked the veteran all-rounder in the recent home ODI series against the West Indies, highlighting his poor numbers in the format.
“Yes, experience is important for the 2027 World Cup, and Jadeja has been an amazing cricketer. But eventually you have to consider performance. He has picked up only 14 wickets in 15 matches since the 2023 World Cup. And he hasn’t scored an ODI half-century in the last six years. So his performance has clearly dipped,” Badrinath said.
“Though many will say he is a legend and should be treated better, as a selector, you have to make such calls. With Axar Patel doing well, it’s right to move forward without Jadeja. But consistency in decision-making is important. Probably in the last series itself, they shouldn’t have picked Jadeja,” he added.
In the concluded West Indies ODI series, Jadeja was part of the XI in two out of three games, picking up only two wickets in 20 overs.
India’s ODI squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
India’s ODI squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
Note: *Subject to fitness clearance
ODI Series Schedule:
4 November, First ODI, Auckland
7 November, Second ODI, Wellington
10 November, Third ODI, Hamilton
13 November, Fourth ODI, Mount Maunganui
15 November, Fifth ODI, Mount Maunganui
