BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has announced India’s ODI squad for the remaining of the ODI Series. There is only one change in the Indian side after sealing the ODI series with a win in the third ODI at Holkar Stadium, Indore. But, the change will surprise many as spinner Axar Patel will replace Ravindra Jadeja in the Indian squad. It came as a shock because Jadeja was not featured in a single game in the ongoing ODI series. He has been warming the benches since the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Jadeja was unable to take a single wicket against West Indies in the two matches he played in the Caribbean. On the other hand, Patel took 6 wickets in the four matches he played against Sri Lanka and bowled with a decent economy rate of 3.85. Patel did not make it into the 15-man squad against Australia because he had twisted his ankle on the Sri Lanka tour and therefore had been given rest.
Jadeja did not play a single game in the ODI series against Australia. He contributed in the field as a 12th man and a substitute fielder though. He took a stunner in the second ODI as well which turned out to be a game-changing one.
With competition increasing from within the team, Jadeja will have to do something special to cement his place as a spinner and a lower order batsman. He needs to fire with the bat as well to give himself the X-factor on the side. At this point, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel and Jadeja are competing for the spot. Kohli is trying every combination before the World Cup 2019. Jadeja is expected to get his chance soon.
India Squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Axar Patel.
