India all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja’s exclusion, paves the way for Washington Sundar and Axar Patel to step in, a strategy that could become the norm moving forward.
According to sources, Jadeja is not currently part of the BCCI’s plans for ODI cricket, with the focus shifting towards building a future-ready team.
With only six ODIs scheduled before the Champions Trophy, the team management aims to give more game time to Axar and Sundar.
A source close to the situation informed the local news channel that while there’s nothing wrong with Jadeja’s performance, the management is focusing on building a team for the future.
“There are only six ODIs, including the three in Sri Lanka, before next year’s Champions Trophy. The selectors want to utilise the handful of games by giving more opportunities to Axar Patel and Washington Sundar,” a BCCI source said.
“Nothing wrong with Jadeja’s performance. The management just wants to look at other options as we have to build a team for the future,” he added.
Axar Patel, who missed the ODI World Cup 2023 due to an injury, has been impressive in the T20 format, contributing significantly to the team in the T20 World Cup 2024. He has played 57 ODIs, taking 60 wickets and scoring 489 runs.
Washington Sundar, on the other hand, had a successful series in Zimbabwe and is expected to capitalise on his recent form in white-ball cricket.
India’s squads for Sri Lanka series
T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
Indian players ‘trust’ Suryakumar more than Pandya: report
The Indian cricket board’s choice of Suryakumar Yadav as T20 captain over Hardik Pandya has been attributed to him having the backing of players, according to a report Friday.
Suryakumar, 33, was named Rohit Sharma’s successor in the T20 format as selectors late Thursday announced the squads for India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka starting July 27.
Suryakumar will lead a 15-member squad in three T20 matches in Pallekele, but has not been selected to play the following three ODI matches.
The 30-year-old Pandya, who was Rohit’s deputy during the T20 showpiece, lost out in the captaincy race to a player who made his debut five years later than the star all-rounder.
A report in the Indian Express newspaper said, “feedback received by the board was that players trusted Surya more than Pandya and were more comfortable working under him”.
Pandya’s frequent injury breakdowns, including an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup last year at home, also went against him.
According to reports, new coach Gautam Gambhir did not want a captain with injury concerns and was impressed with Suryakumar’s game awareness.
Suryakumar, a T20 regular who redefined batting in the format, made a late debut for India at the age of 30 but soon became the team’s go-to batter in the middle order.
His audacious strokeplay, including a lap shot behind the stumps, makes him a bowler’s nightmare, considered a “360 degree” player for hits all around the ground.
Suryakumar, who previously captained Mumbai in domestic cricket, last year led India to a 4-1 T20 series win over Australia and followed it up with a 1-1 result in South Africa.
Pandya had a good World Cup with bat and ball, but the ride has been rough for the Indian star, who replaced Rohit as IPL captain at Mumbai Indians.
He was booed across venues by fans of Rohit, and Mumbai ended bottom of the 10-team table in the T20 tournament.
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