Is Ravindra Jadeja still India’s best ODI all-round option, or are his recent performances raising questions about his place in the team?
Since the beginning of 2021, Ravindra Jadeja has not celebrated a single fifty in 27 ODI innings. His last half-century in this format came against Australia in December 2020 at the Manuka Oval, Canberra. In the last four years, Jadeja has managed the best score of unbeaten 45 runs against the ODI World Cup 2023 champions at the Wankhede Stadium. This raises concerns about his future in the format.
Heading into the series down under in October, there were questions over Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s ODI form. However, both batting stalwarts have delivered with impressive scores in the last five innings. That puts the entire focus on Ravindra Jadeja, who will turn 38 by the next ODI World Cup 2027.
Ravindra Jadeja’s curious ODI batting performance
Since the end of the ODI World Cup 2023 final, India have earned 14 ODI victories in 21 clashes at a win-loss ratio of 2.33. Jadeja has been a part of only 11 of those 21 matches and recorded 110 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 114.58.
The Southpaw has batted at numbers seven and eight in seven innings during the ODIs after the 2023 World Cup. His strike rate of 116.48 is the best in that aspect, with a cut-off of over 100 runs in this period for India.
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Most ODI runs at number 7 and 8 after ODI World Cup 2023
| Player | Inns | Runs | Avg | SR | 50s/100s | HS |
| H Pandya | 05 | 110 | 27.50 | 111.11 | 00/00 | 45 |
| R Jadeja | 07 | 106 | 53.00 | 116.48 | 00/00 | 32 |
| W Sundar | 06 | 72 | 14.40 | 76.59 | 00/00 | 15 |
| A Patel | 04 | 54 | 13.50 | 56.84 | 00/00 | 33 |
| S Dube | 02 | 34 | 17.00 | 89.47 | 00/00 | 25 |
However, the problem occurs once he goes up in the batting order. Since the beginning of 2020, he has batted at number five only twice. The first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara was just the second instance after 2023, when he was dismissed for only four runs. In that same period, he batted at number six only once, which came at the ODI World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad.
This problem hasn’t been new in Jadeja’s career. Out of his 140 ODI innings with the bat, he featured at number six only 10 times in his entire career. The Southpaw has managed 180 runs at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 81.44 with two fifties.
Meanwhile, once Jadeja drops down to number seven, his form returns. The Saurashtra batter is actually India’s ODI leading run-getter at seven for his 2056 runs in 100 innings at a strike rate of 84.40.
This problem ends up being a headache for the management. In case of his bowling, there isn’t much of an issue. Jadeja remains India’s fourth leading wicket-taker with 12 scalps in 11 innings after the 2023 World Cup. His economy rate of 4.81 holds the key for the blue brigade in the middle overs.
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Should India look ahead of Ravindra Jadeja in ODIs?
During the opening ODI against the Kiwis, Ravindra Jadeja did not come to bowl till the 23rd over of the innings. Once Harshit Rana broke the 117-run opening stand to send back left-handed Devon Conway, captain Shubman Gill introduced Jadeja into the attack.
The left-arm spinner didn’t complete his full quota of 10 overs and was belted away for 0-56 in nine overs. This was the ninth time in the last 11 innings that Jadeja did nor fulfil his quota. In fact, he didn’t bowl 10 overs in any of the three ODIs at home against South Africa at the end of 2025.
When he came out of the bat in the 40th over in Vadodara, India were in a tricky situation, especially after Kohli’s dismissal. The hosts still needed 67 runs in 59 deliveries. After two doubles, Jadeja played an ordinary shot for four runs. He checked his shot and chipped the cross-seam slower delivery into the hands of mid-on.
Despite his decent batting record at seven, the question remains whether Jadeja has done enough to be ahead of Axar Patel in ODIs. It’s noteworthy that Jadeja did not feature in the three-match ODI series down under. The conditions will mostly remain the same for the next ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Since the beginning of 2023, Axar has clubbed 509 runs in 23 ODI innings. He averages 26.78 and has a strike rate of 84.13 for his one half-century. But the best part of Axar’s batting is that he can contribute at any position, just like he did up the order in the T20 World Cup 2024 final.
At 37, Jadeja’s time is running out in the 50-over format. After the next two ODIs against the Kiwis in Rajkot and Indore, India are scheduled to play their next 50-over series in England seven months later. Axar may then return to the side if the selectors think of looking ahead. They have also shown a lot of trust in off-spin all-rounder Washington Sundar, due to his batting capabilities.
India’s next ODI will take place on January 14 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. That’s Jadeja’s home ground. It can’t be a better place than this for the veteran to put the monkey off his back. But the question remains- can he turn the tables?
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