India’s new era under head coach Gautam Gambhir has begun minus star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who is not part of the upcoming Sri Lanka series. This happened after Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from T20 Internationals following a victorious campaign in the Americas for India at the T20 World Cup.
Due to limited number of matches before ICC Champions Trophy next February, Kohli and Sharma have been included in the ODI squad. Nevertheless, Jadeja’s absence raised questions about his place in the Champions Trophy squad.
However, an ESPNCricinfo report cleared these speculations by claiming that Jadeja was rested rather than dropped. According to them, selectors have assured him that he remains India’s primary spin-bowling all-rounder.
The decision to rest Jadeja was taken due to two main reasons.
- Firstly, Axar Patel will be tested in ODIs by selectors especially Gambhir whether he can replicate his performance of T20I.
- Secondly, they want him fresh for ten matches lined up between September 2023 and January 2024 namely Bangladesh/New Zealand at home and Australia away tour which are known to be tough encounters on overseas soil.
This is because such top performers like Jadeja must be fully fit for important upcoming fixtures and hence it is necessary to give some players breaks as stipulated by the report.
As Team India begins a new chapter under Gambhir’s captaincy; focus would remain both on immediate results as well as long-term objectives. The decision making process seems very systematic so that certain needs are addressed even as future challenges are planned for.
