Ravindra Jadeja: The curious puzzle facing India’s World Cup plans

There were several moments in Guwahati, when Ravindra Jadeja’s usual poker face did not keep in the frustration. Midway through the first innings, keeper KL Rahul couldn’t snatch a difficult grab. Jadeja had his hands on his head. Seconds later, his frame sunk further when the ricocheted ball slipped past short third-man.

The wait only grew longer.

An hour later, Jadeja had his hands folded on his head yet again, now in celebration. A mini-dance followed, apparently a nod to actor Emraan Hashmi’s next flick.

It had been a long while since Jadeja last celebrated a wicket, Bollywood-style or otherwise. His previous ODI scalp had come in December last year, and the one before that was in the Champions Trophy final in March 2025.

The Guwahati ODI was a frustrating day for bowlers on either side. For the third time ever, India had conceded 400 in an innings. Jadeja was part of the bowling the first time it happened, back in 2009.

On a surface that was a glorified deathbed for bowlers, India tried to make sense of their bench depth leading up to the World Cup. Across the next 12 months, the window to experiment will only reduce. Playing tenth-ranked West Indies at home makes for a great trial run.

At 37, and 212 ODIs in, Jadeja shouldn’t really need trial runs. He stands head and shoulders above the rest in experience. Ahead of the first ODI, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak mentioned him in the same breath as long-time teammates Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. In pure numbers, the longevity ensures that bracket: Jadeja has the third-most ODI wickets among Indian spinners. Just like the other two, he retired with a T20 World Cup title. And in Test cricket, Jadeja commands the status of an all-timer.

But the discussion is less about Jadeja’s credentials, and more about his role.

While India’s batting continues to lord over the West Indies, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are in Japan for the Asian Games. The two finger-spinners were preferred over Jadeja for the Afghanistan ODIs and England tour. It felt like a natural transition had been made with the World Cup in mind, particularly when Harsh Dubey, another left-arm spin all-rounder, had been given a shot post IPL.

However, that was quickly undone when Jadeja was handed his first ODI since New Zealand’s tour in January, across which he conceded 141 runs in 23 overs, with no wickets to show. As for the second spin all-rounder, India preferred Naman Dhir.

At a time when finger-spinners have gone through an identity crisis and tried to reinvent themselves, Jadeja has largely remained the same bowler across several years. Over time, ODIs have become fewer in number, and essentially an extension of high-scoring T20Is, but Jadeja’s MO hasn’t required changing. It’s what has brought him success for the longest time: bowl with the same tempo and trust your biggest asset: accurate darts on the wicket.

Yet, on pitches like Trivandrum, and even more in Guwahati, if the pitch doesn’t offer anything, Jadeja’s effectiveness significantly reduces.

Jadeja: Series by series since the 2023 World Cup

He was brought in by the ninth over in the first ODI, and John Campbell clobbered him for 16 runs in the opening over itself, confidently sweeping and coming down the track to him. With Kuldeep Yadav bringing control, and later wickets, from the other end, Jadeja was able to play the containing role. With the older ball, there was a bit of grip on the surface as well. But, with Naman Dhir also doing the same, and Nitish Kumar Reddy off-colour, it left the rest of India’s attack in a defensive bubble.

In the second ODI, Jadeja started straight and quick. By the second ball, Campbell, who had already raced to 69 off 40, confidently walked down to tap him for a single. Later in the over, Campbell crunched a slot ball for an easy six.

To Jadeja’s, and every other bowler’s defence, there was no turn to work with. He resorted to a straight channel on the leg-side, cramping the left-hander as much as possible. Three balls into the strategy, he had sent down five wides, even if the reverse sweep had come out, increasing the risk factor.

Jadeja’s early entry allows Kuldeep to come in later with the slightly older ball, and halt them in the middle overs, like he did in the first ODI, also thanks in part to Keacy Carty’s stalling knock at three.

But in Guwahati, Amir Jangoo, a much better user of the crease, got a promotion to four and more time against spinners, further laying bare Jadeja’s flat offerings. Losing Prasidh and Naman midway didn’t help either, even if it meant Jadeja bowled deeper in the death, and managed to finally pocket two wickets in their late surge for big hits.

Before Guwahati, Jadeja had taken one wicket in his last seven ODIs, but there shouldn’t be a massive surprise there. Given his style and the recent pitches, he is unlikely to run through sides in ODIs. Unless, it’s a turner like Eden Gardens at the 2023 World Cup, where he claimed five against South Africa. But that was followed by a sabbatical of sorts from the format.

Left-arm orthodox bowlers since World Cup 2023 (Full members, min. 75 overs)

From that event, until England’s tour of India in the buildup to the Champions Trophy 2025, India played just six ODIs. Jadeja featured in none. Midway through that came a global title and T20I retirement.

By that time, Axar Patel had resurrected his ODI career, as had Washington Sundar. And, when Varun Chakaravarthy was briefly brought into the mix, the pool further widened. The first two are India’s first-choice options outside Asia, and the third one is currently injured. In fact, Jadeja’s last SENA appearance came way back in 2022, and he last played an ODI in South Africa in 2013.

In such a scenario, and with the World Cup in Africa next year: the two-pronged question re-emerges: where does Jadeja fit, and what is his role?

The management sees several reasons. Ahead of the second game, spin coach Sairaj Bahutule called him a “utility player”, a vague term associated with the all-rounder for the longest time. Pull out a CSK interview from a decade and a half ago, and similar words have been used.

Bahutule, though, believes Jadeja is a “much improved bowler” over the last six months, referencing his performance in the Sri Lanka Tests. He added that Jadeja and Axar will be assessed over time, suggesting the door is still firmly open for the veteran.

The batting keeps getting a mention too. But that aspect of his game hasn’t really been a selection definer. Since the World Cup, he has batted just ten times, which includes the winning hit at the 2025 Champions Trophy final. After that game, Jadeja bluntly encapsulated the volatility of his batting role as: “I am a hero or a zero”.

Jadeja vs Axar: Batting since the 2023 World Cup

Primarily batting at seven or eight off late, Jadeja doesn’t offer anything outrightly different from any of the other options in the mix. Axar, his direct competitor, in fact has had a slightly clearer role as a spin-hitter at No.5, sometimes even batting above KL Rahul. But such specifications haven’t come to Jadeja.

From Jadeja’s perspective, lifting an ODI World Cup trophy in 12 months’ time will truly cap off a brilliant career. But with the options India have at hand, the role Jadeja plays, and the venues of the event, his presence in India’s plans makes for a truly curious choice.

Stats by Roshan Gede. All numbers updated until the second India vs West Indies ODI