Not surprised by my ODI exclusion against Australia: Ravindra Jadeja
What's the story
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has said he wasn't surprised by his exclusion from the upcoming ODI series against Australia. The veteran cricketer was speaking at a press conference after Day 2 of the ongoing 2nd Test against the West Indies in Delhi. Jadeja had announced his retirement from T20Is, and he still harbors dreams of participating in the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Acceptance
Selection not in my hands: Jadeja
"[Selection] is not in my hands. I want to play, for sure," Jadeja said at his press conference. "[At the] end of the day, team management, selectors, coach and captain have their thoughts and they will have their reasons for not selecting me for this series. They have talked to me, it was not a surprise for me after the squad was announced," the all-rounder added.
Communication
Team management communicated the reasons for my exclusion: Jadeja
Jadeja appreciated the team management's communication regarding his exclusion. "It is a good thing that they communicated the reason behind my omission. I am happy about that," he said. He also expressed his desire to make an impact whenever given another opportunity, saying, "If I get a chance in the World Cup and there are many ODIs before and if I do well there, it will be a good thing for Indian cricket."
Career overview
Jadeja's ODI numbers and future prospects
Jadeja has played 204 ODIs, taking 231 wickets and scoring 2,806 runs. His last ODI assignment was the Champions Trophy where he took five wickets in as many innings at an economy rate of 4.35. Despite being dropped from the squad for Australia series, Ajit Agarkar, India's chief selector, hinted that Jadeja remains a part of their future plans for ODI cricket.
Future plans
Two left-arm spinners to Australia not possible, says Agarkar
Agarkar said, "With regards to Jaddu [Jadeja], I mean look, at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible." He added that while Jadeja is clearly in their plans due to his talent, there will be competition for places. "Of course he was there in the Champions Trophy squad because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there [in UAE]," Agarkar explained.
Information
Here's India ODI squad for AUS tour
India's ODI squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal.