Two years remain for the 2027 ODI World Cup, but India’s build up has begun in earnest after the major shakeup in their 50-over team ahead of next week’s white-ball tour of Australia. The key talking point has been Shubman Gill’s elevation to 50-over captain, replacing Rohit Sharma and the speculation about the future of Rohit and Virat Kohli in international cricket.
As is characteristic of his nature, though, the speculation about all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s future, whose name was missing from the squad for the ODI games in Australia, did not quite reach the same fever pitch. Speaking at the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds in New Delhi on Saturday, after he took three wickets on the second day of India’s second Test against the West Indies, the 36-year-old spoke about his future in the one-day game.
The Rajkot all-rounder says that he was not left miffed by the omission, insisting he was glad that skipper Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir had kept him in the loop about the situation. “Obviously I want to play. It’s a dream for everyone to win the World Cup, we missed out on it narrowly in 2023,” he told reporters here. “But at the end of the day, it is the team management’s thinking. They had their reasons for not picking me for the (Australia) series, and they explained it to me. I am glad the captain, coach, and selector explained to me why I wasn’t picked. They informed me earlier, I did not just learn of it when the squad was announced.”
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, while addressing media after announcing the squad for the Australia Tour during the first Test in Ahmedabad, also insisted that Jadeja remains in the “scheme of things,” his omission more likely with wanting to rest him for future assignments and giving other players a go in Australian conditions where spin may not play a dominant role.
Jadeja added that he still hopes to play the World Cup in South Africa in 2027 and feels motivated to prove that he deserves a place in the team. India will be playing three ODIs against South Africa and three ODIs against New Zealand in the next four months in home conditions.
“At the next opportunity I get, I will be doing my best, just keep doing what I have done for so many years,” he said. “There are plenty of ODIs left between then and now and I hope I am given the chance to show what I can do and perform well.”
Squad decisions about the next World Cup are tough to make at the present moment given the amount of time still left. Rohit will have crossed 40 by the start of the tournament, Kohli and Jadeja will turn 39 during the quadrennial showpiece. South African conditions will also have to be kept in mind; a seaming all-rounder seems to be a priority for the Indian management presently, and with spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav in excellent form, Jadeja’s place is not exactly locked.
But if he is asked to prove his form, his performances in the longest format in the past four months is making a strong case. He shored up India’s lower-order during India’s 2-2 series draw in England over the summer, and has picked up where he left off from there.
In Ahmedabad, a first innings century was followed up by a four-wicket haul in a Player of the Match performance. On Saturday, once again, Jadeja was entrusted to find breakthroughs, his 14 overs the most among India’s bowlers. The discipline, the consistency of length, and the constant pressure elicited mistakes from Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Roston Chase during his three-wicket haul.
More of the same can be expected from the deceptively effective all-rounder. There’s no telling, though, if that will be enough for him to have another shot at the game’s biggest prize.
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