India’s spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule confirms Ravindra Jadeja’s strong contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup squad, emphasising his all-round utility and the team’s ongoing assessment of spin options alongside Axar Patel.
IMAGE: Ravindra Jadeja managed to pick only a single wicket in his last seven ODIs. Photograph: ANI Photo
Key Points
- Ravindra Jadeja’s ODI World Cup 2027 prospects are being evaluated, with his all-round utility being a key factor for the Indian team.
- India is actively assessing spin-bowling options, including Jadeja and Axar Patel, for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
- Spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule highlighted Jadeja’s improved bowling and valuable batting skills, affirming his utility to the squad.
- Kuldeep Yadav is considered a match-winner, with his unique wrist-spin adding significant value and performance capabilities to the team in various conditions.
- The ongoing ODI series against West Indies is being strategically used to experiment with combinations and fine-tune the squad ahead of the 2027 World Cup campaign.
Ravindra Jadeja’s ODI World Cup hopes are far from over, with the veteran all-rounder’s “utility with his batting skills” being assessed alongside Axar Patel as India continue to firm up their spin-bowling options for the 2027 showpiece, spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said in Guwahati on Tuesday.
After missing India’s previous series against Afghanistan (at home) and England (away), the 37-year-old Jadeja returned to the ODI side against the West Indies at Thiruvananthapuram, where he went wicketless, conceding 54 for his full quota.
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With Axar, currently on the Asian Games duty, India will use the upcoming assignments to assess their options ahead of the 2027 showpiece in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
India’s Spin Strategy For 2027 World Cup
“But, Jaddu with his batting skills, (and) the experience he gets in, is definitely doing well and I am sure he will be looked into in the coming time.”
“For me, he has always been a utility player. He is somebody who can contribute with the bat as well as with the ball. He has definitely improved as a bowler over the last six months.”
Jadeja had appeared to be on the fringes of India’s white-ball plans after the New Zealand series earlier this year, with Axar, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar providing alternative spin options.
However, with Axar and Washington being away on Asian Games duty, Jadeja returned to the ODI setup for the first time since the New Zealand series.
Jadeja’s Return And All-Round Impact
Bahutule was particularly impressed by Jadeja’s performance in the preceding two-Test series in Sri Lanka, where he claimed eight wickets.
“I thought (in) the Test matches he bowled really well in Sri Lanka, as well as now with the ODIs. It is just the first game after a long period, but he has done well.”
While Jadeja’s all-round value remains an important consideration, Bahutule fully trusts Kuldeep, whose match-winning spell turned the first ODI in India’s favour.
The left-arm wrist-spinner claimed 4/40, dismissing the West Indies captain Shai Hope, centurion Justin Greaves and Jewel Andrew in the space of six balls across two overs.
His spell helped India restrict the West Indies to 295/7 after the hosts had raced to 135 without loss in the 20th over.
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Kuldeep Yadav: A Match-Winning Asset
“Kuldeep has always been a match winner for India. There are certain aspects where he feels that he needs to improve. He will go into the nets, work at it, and there are aspects where he is very confident about because he has been a part of this team for years. He went for a County stint as well.
“He comes into a series well prepared and again, he is a player who every team would want to have because he is always lively on and off the field. At the same time, his unique skills help us to perform in any conditions, and being a wrist spinner, a Chinaman bowler definitely adds value to the team.”
With Hardik Pandya injured and several players unavailable because of their Asian Games commitments, India are looking to use the ongoing ODI series against the West Indies to experiment with combinations.
Naman Dhir made his debut in the opening game, while Mohammed Siraj was rested. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is being groomed as a backup seam-bowling all-rounder to Pandya, opened the bowling.
The combinations, particularly in the bowling department, are still being fine-tuned.
Experimenting With Team Combinations
Bahutule believes India are using the series precisely for that purpose and remain on the right track with less than 20 ODIs left before their 2027 World Cup campaign.
“These series are a good opportunity for us to also see different type of combinations we can have in the team.
“We can definitely look into different bowlers who can bowl in different phases of the game. So that’s what the thought process was to give Nitish the new ball.
“He is a good bowler and somebody who can bat also. During this series we will come across certain changes but those changes are purely to understand who we can be placed well in the right position.
“When it comes to the fast bowlers, it will be important to see who would actually be the three fast bowlers, maybe a fourth seamer — an all-rounder. That is yet to be seen.
“Ample opportunities will be given to all the bowlers in different phases. So you might see Gurnoor (Brar) bowling with the new ball, things like that.”
Preparing For South African Conditions
Asked what boxes India still need to tick to be world champions, Bahutule said the focus would increasingly be on finding the combination best suited to South African conditions. “Most of the boxes are ticked. We have in our squad, there is a lot of experience, there is a lot of youth coming up. Opportunities also are there for a lot of these guys who are knocking at the doors,” Bahutule said.
Fielding, he added, remains an area of constant work, particularly given the challenges posed by dew and changing conditions under lights.
“Fielding is something which we constantly are trying to see how we can improve as much as possible. Because it’s not easy under light, sometimes when the dew comes in, it is a challenge.
“Sometimes we have dew, sometimes we don’t. So that’s again a work in progress and the effort has been put in constantly that is seen.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction and headspace.”
