KARACHI: With India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja nearing his 210th ODI career, the national selection panel is said to be keen to back Axar Patel as the team’s first-choice spin all-rounder ahead of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027.
According to media reports, the selectors are planning to build the squad around Axar, who recently produced a match-winning performance in the first ODI against England in Birmingham.
The left-arm spinner was adjudged Man of the Match for 4/62 in ODIs before scoring an unbeaten half-century to lead India to a six-wicket victory.
India’s current overseas mix-up, including the current tour of England, does not feature a specialist lead spinner, with Kuldeep Yadav consistently sidelined.
Instead, the team management prefers the spin-bowling all-round partnership of Axar and Washington Sundar to give the team more balance.
The selectors are said to be reluctant to reinstate Jadeja as India’s first-choice ODI spinner, with the team management instead preferring a spin-bowling all-rounder capable of making meaningful contributions with both bat and ball in the top seven.
The move suffers from a lack of quality substitutes and Kuldeep’s limited batting ability.
“Jadeja’s bowling in white-ball cricket has been off the mark for some time. He played in the Champions Trophy 2025 as India looked for a breakthrough in Dubai,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.
“His power-hitting is not at the level it was during the 2019 ODI World Cup,” added the source.
However, Axar’s operations in South Africa are limited. In three ODIs, he has scored only eight runs and taken just one wicket.
Jadeja also endured a tough ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year, scoring 43 runs at an average of 14.33 and a strike rate of 66.15 as India suffered a 2-1 series defeat.
Despite his recent struggles, the 37-year-old has enjoyed an outstanding ODI career, scoring 2,905 runs, including 13 half-centuries, while taking 232 wickets at an economy rate of 4.88 in 210 matches.
Jadeja announced his retirement from T20 internationals in June 2024 after India lifted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States.
He ended his T20I career with 515 runs and 54 wickets in 74 matches, bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career in the format alongside Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.