Workload management, rotation key to Jadeja missing Sri Lanka ODIs: Selectors assure not dropped

After a successful T20 World Cup, Ravindra Jadeja announced his retirement from T20Is, along with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Soon after that, when the selectors announced the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series, Jadeja’s name was missing, which indicated that the all-rounder might not be in the scheme of things as far as white-ball cricket goes. 

However, as per reports, the selectors assured Jadeja that he is still in the plans and will be considered for the upcoming Champions Trophy. The idea right now is to allow Axar Patel to prove his value in ODI cricket. The all-rounder was terrific in the T20 World Cup, and the goal is to now check if he can deliver in the 50-overs format as well.

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Gambhir and the selectors didn’t want to carry two left-arm spin-bowling all-rounders for the series against Sri Lanka. As per ESPNcricinfo, they also kept an eye on the busy calendar and thought of giving a break to Jadeja, who is a regular in red-ball cricket. India will be playing 10 Test matches in six months, which is why, they want Jadeja to take a break now.

Update on Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal

Ace India pacer Mohammed Shami is back in training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He is yet to regain 100% fitness as the BCCI doctors and physios are keeping a close tab on his development. The idea is to play him in either the Bangladesh or New Zealand series before the marquee series against Australia. The 33-year-old is also in contention for the Champions Trophy.

Also Read - Rohit Sharma doesn't like facing me in the nets: Mohammed Shami

Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, was thought to be dropped from T20Is but that’s not the case. The selectors wanted Ravi Bishnoi to play more games and gain experience as he is the second-best wrist-spinner behind Kuldeep. Meanwhile, his long-time partner Yuzvendra Chahal too is in the reckoning. The leg-spinner was part of the team that won the T20 World Cup but was strangely dropped after that. However, as per reports, he will be considered going forward.