“We are talking about No. 8, but Jadeja needs to score at No. 7” - Aakash Chopra admits all-rounder's ODI form a worry

Former India batter Aakash Chopra has stated that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s lack of form with the bat in ODIs is a worry heading into the World Cup. Chopra said that while there has been plenty of talk around the No. 8 batter, Jadeja too has failed to deliver at the No. 7 position in ODIs.

The former opener dug out some stats pertaining to the all-rounder’s batting performance in ODIs. Since the 2019 World Cup, Jadeja’s batting average has gone up from 31.9 to 39.4. But his strike rate has gone down. His career strike rate is 84.2 but since the 2019 World Cup, it is 79.4.

Speaking of his ODI record in 2023, in 12 matches, he has scored 138 runs at an average of 23, with a highest of 45 not out.

Sharing his thoughts on Jadeja’s poor ODI numbers with the bat, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:

“If you take out that innings of 45 not out, his average comes down to 15. That is not a good story. He bats down the order, but still there are a lot of single-digit scores.”

The 46-year-old further revealed that the all-rounder is yet to hit a six in the one-day format in 2023.

“Another aspect that is worrying is that he has played 243 balls in 2023, has hit nine fours and is still to hit a six. This is a bit shocking. Hopefully, he does it in the World Cup and the ODI series before that where he is the vice-captain. But the numbers are not good and it has to change as Jadeja is a very vital cog. We are talking about No. 8, but Jadeja needs to score at No. 7,” Chopra added.

Jadeja recently featured in the Asia Cup, where he registered scores of 14, 4 and 7.

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“Looking at his bowling in ODIs in 2023, it is again not a great story” - Chopra on Jadeja

Continuing his analysis on Jadeja, Chopra pointed out that his performance with the ball in one-dayers has also not been great of late. In 2023, he has claimed 11 wickets in 12 matches.

Elaborating on the stats, Chopra commented:

“Looking at his bowling in ODIs in 2023, it is again not a great story. He has claimed 11 wickets in 12 matches, which includes two three-wicket hauls, one of which came against Nepal. In the other 10 matches, he has claimed only five wickets. Not a good thing with the World Cup coming up. Since 2019 World Cup, he has been taking one wicket a game on an average.

“The other thing that has been very good has been his economy. He’s been very economical, going at 4.5 runs per over since the start of 2023. It’s important for Jadeja to come into wicket-taking form,” the former batter concluded.

Jadeja claimed six wickets in six matches in the Asia Cup at an average of 25.33, with a best of 3/40 against Nepal.