'Ravindra Jadeja is a White-Ball Legend': Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar Face Ire For Ignoring Star Allrounder For Australia Tour

Ind vs Aus: Once the Board of Control of Cricket in India announced the squad for the limited-overs tour of Australia, the one name that was missing from the list was that of star allrounder Ravindra Jadeja. For the unversed, Jadeja has retired from T20Is, but is still very much active in Tests and ODIs. So, why was he not picked in the ODI squad? Former Indian cricket team opener Sadagoppan Ramesh did not seem comfortable with the decision of excluding Jadeja. Hailing Jadeja as a ‘white-ball’ legend, Ramesh asked if ‘he is some extra baggage’. 

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‘Is he some extra baggage?’

"The selector is saying because we took extra spinners for the Champions Trophy Jadeja was in the team. Is he some extra baggage? He's a white-ball legend. Will you pick Jadeja in the team only when you need extras? The standard answer you give for appointing Shubman Gill as the T20I vice-captain and ODI captain is his performance in England. In that same England series, Jadeja also shone," he said on his YouTube channel.

"Jadeja has also just scored a century and picked up four wickets in the first West Indies Test. You've rewarded Dhruv Jurel with an ODI selection for scoring a 100 against the same West Indies. So, they reward Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel but wave goodbye to Jadeja," Ramesh added.

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Can Jadeja Find a Spot in ODIs? 

With Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav there in the mix, Jadeja will face stiff competition for a spot in ODIs. 

Jadeja's selection will also depend on the combination the team wants for certain conditions. He was part of the triumphant Champions Trophy squad where the selectors may have picked him because of the conditions in Dubai.