Leg and off: Should India look beyond Ravindra Jadeja in both Tests and ODIs? 

Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja might have to fight for his place in the playing XI, especially in the ODIs, as the management are said to be keen on exploring other options. He has been hit-and-miss for the side over the last couple of years, and needs to make a strong case to ward off the emerging players in his department.

The 2025 Champions Trophy and the next cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) are on the horizon, and the team management desires more from Jadeja as they look to build a solid core.

A report from the Times of India stated that his place was under threat across both formats, but mainly in the ODIs.

"Gambhir has been very assertive about creating core teams according to formats. As of now, he hasn't quite tinkered with the longer formats but has a clear vision for creating a strong base for the ODI World Cup. He is keen on giving exposure to a few more identified players," a BCCI source told TOI.

"It's all about when the selectors decide the transition needs to kick in. They will discuss if they want to go with a safe option in Jadeja or move on right now. Even in Test cricket, he has struggled to get going, though his bowling has been steady. There is an urge to move on from him, especially in the ODI format. It will be a tough call in the coming days," the source added.

On that note, let us take a deep dive into the pros and cons of moving on from Ravindra Jadeja in both Tests and ODIs.

#1 India have sufficient options waiting in the wings

A huge factor that gives India the cushion to even think of moving on from Ravindra Jadeja is that there is no dearth of options. He has hardly been missed from the T20I squad since his retirement after the 2024 T20 World Cup.

A swarm of prospects have already taken over since then. Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Abhishek Sharma comprise a wide variety of spin-bowling all-rounders, who have done well since their introduction.

Even in the red-ball circuit, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are not newcomers anymore, and have proven to be match-winners on many occasions in the past, with both bat and ball. They can provide the balance and batting depth that India need by featuring as the lone spinner overseas, or playing together alongside a frontline spinner like Kuldeep Yadav in home conditions.

As far as backups are concerned, India need not worry with players like Tanush Kotian waiting on the sidelines after doing the hard yards in the domestic circuit.

The thought of moving on from Jadeja stems from the idea of a core for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The all-rounder will be 38 years old by then, and could either be in the twilight stage of his career, or a shadow of his former self - both of which India cannot afford.

The aforementioned replacements are far younger, not too far behind the veteran in terms of prowess, more suited to the modern-day game, and more importantly, hungry.

He particularly faces stiff competition from Axar Patel, who has been exceptional with the bat across formats, being the floater at times too. The fellow left-handed all-rounder's ability to bat higher up the order and bring in a left-hand-right-hand dynamic has helped India on many occasions, something that Jadeja has not been able to bring to his game.

#2 Jadeja's inconsistency is the problem, not his prowess

Just by looking at Jadeja's performances in the current World Test Championship (WTC), there are as many highs as there are lows. He carried the burden of top and middle-order collapses by being in charge of the recovery on so many occasions. Four fifties and a hundred is far better than some of the specialist batters. To add to that, he was fairly prolific with the ball too.

However, Jadeja has the uncanny ability to dip in between. The misfortune results in a rather staggered and random set of performances spread over time, which hampers the reliability factor. At times he can be relied on to rescue India out of trouble, but at certain times he falters miserably, there is no middle ground.

Even in the recent Border-Gavaskar series, he arrived with a fifty in Brisbane, and was almost absent in the last two Tests when India needed him the most.

To be fair, the real concern with Jadeja is in white-ball cricket rather than red-ball. He has been hot and cold in ODI cricket for quite a while now. He gets through his ten overs and chips in sporadically with the bat. But a modern-day all-rounder has to be more impactful and reliable than what Jadeja is now.

In 26 ODIs that Jadeja played in 2023, he scored 309 runs at a strike rate of 75. It includes some crunch displays against Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand, but at the same time, there were grim displays too, making the overall record concerning.

With the ball, he has arguably played his part well, being the defensive companion to Kuldeep Yadav, and choking runs from one end. He has been able to be among the wickets when the surfaces have suited him. However, that does not guarantee him immunity.

#3 Jadeja has a lot left in the tank, just needs a bit more role clarity and tweak in approach

Jadeja is arguably one of the few players who has largely stuck to a traditional approach despite the changing landscape of the game, which has affected even the longer formats now. Now whether it is stubbornness or inability to adapt is a whole different question.

Jadeja's white-ball batting is the biggest problem of all. There is a considerable difference between how other lower-order batters operate with the bat compared to Jadeja.

As mentioned earlier, he had a strike rate of 75 in 2023. The dot balls and the lack of strike rotation put his partner at the non-striker's end under pressure many times.

A clear message of intent will do Jadeja a world of good. Actively looking for scoring options from the word go, and a bit more cushion in the batting unit, might help the left-handed batter to express himself in a better fashion.

Taking a leaf out of his IPL resurgence might also help, despite the format being different. His strike rate read just 120 in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. But since then, his strike rate has at least been 142 in four of the five seasons.

The role and the team composition are different, but the point is that Jadeja does have an intent-based gear shift in his batting, which he needs to introduce into ODIs as well.

#4 India need a bit of stability amid the transition, and Jadeja deserves a chance to prove himself

Compared to the other senior members in the changing room, Jadeja is not under that much pressure. R Ashwin got the ball rolling from a transition perspective by announcing his retirement before his place in the playing XI could be questioned.

India's recent Test displays have shown that the seniors are well past their prime, but at the same time, it conveyed that the youngsters are not quite there either. In a confusing period, when there is immense pressure to change things, not everything that creaks can be cast aside as defective. That would be an overreaction.

It would be questionable to cast aside India's senior-most spinner from Tests right after Ashwin's exit. As far as ODIs are concerned, Jadeja should be given a fair run of games before being judged. He has yet to play a single white-ball game in Gambhir's run as head coach, and moving on from him, without even seeing how he would fare, will not be fair.

India will play at least 15 ODIs in 2025, which gives the new management time to assess whether Jadeja fits the profile of the spin bowling all-rounder they are looking for. Given how much time there is left for the 2027 ODI World Cup, this is a much more sensible approach rather than a radical one being considered.