Leg and Off: Does Ravindra Jadeja deserve a place in India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad?
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a shocking defeat at home in their most recent encounter against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 23.
While the game had several talking points, a glaring revelation was spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's lack of impact with bat and ball. The 35-year-old scored a lethargic 19-ball 16 in a game where both teams scored almost 11 runs per over.
Furthermore, the dew factor and presence of a left-hander, Nicholas Pooran, meant Jadeja bowled only two overs during LSG's run-chase. As one of India's most valuable players across formats, Jadeja's recent T20 form has largely gone unnoticed, thanks to India and CSK winning more than they lose.
Yet, the alarm bells have slowly started ringing, with fans and experts questioning the presence of the veteran all-rounder in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and U.S.A.
Let us break down the major deciding parameters to see if Ravindra Jadeja deserves a spot in the Indian T20 World Cup squad.
#1 Batting form - IPL 2024 and recent T20Is
It is a no-brainer that the ongoing IPL will likely have a massive bearing on the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. In that sense, Jadeja hasn't helped himself much with bat and ball.
The star all-rounder has scored 157 runs, while dismissed just twice, but the column on the extreme right that says strike rate is where the issue begins. Jadeja boasts a strike rate of under 132 in a tournament where run-scoring has been at an all-time high with several batting records being broken.
His last couple of innings has come at No.4, a position he will certainly not bat at for India in the World Cup. Thus, more worthwhile will be to analyze his numbers in the death overs, where he will likely bat for the Men in Blue.
Jadeja boasts a strike rate of 145.1 in the final five overs in IPL 2024, which appears to be solid until it is compared with others at the same stage. For context, his teammate MS Dhoni is striking at a rate of 260 from over 15 to 20.
Others like Tristan Stubbs, Riyan Parag, Heinrich Klaasen, and Dinesh Karthik possess strike rates of over 230 at that stage. Also staggering is that Jadeja has struck only one maximum in 64 deliveries in the final 30 balls of the innings in this IPL.
Coming to T20Is, the veteran cricketer has played only two games for India since the start of 2023. Jadeja has scored only 23 runs at a strike rate of 143.75 in those matches. But such a small sample size indicates nothing much, except that he hasn't played much in the shortest format for the Men in Blue in recent times.
#2 Bowling form - IPL 2024 and recent T20Is
The bigger worry for Team India regarding Ravindra Jadeja will be his dismal bowling returns so far in IPL 2024.
He has picked up only four wickets in seven outings so far at a horrific average of 53 and an economy of 7.85. Jadeja has gone wicketless in six of the eight innings for CSK and his lack of penetration has been a key reason behind them being only fifth on the points table.
Even in the two T20Is he played for India last year, the left-arm spinner picked up only two wickets at an economy of over nine.
With Hardik Pandya's fitness to bowl often a question mark, Jadeja will likely be required to bowl four solid overs per game and provide crucial breakthroughs. At the moment, he is looking like someone neither reliable to bowl four economical overs nor a wicket-taking option.
#3 Competition
While Team India might throw in a surprise by opting for no left-arm spin option in the T20 World Cup squad, chances of that are far-fetched. Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are the likely frontrunners for the left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder spot.
Despite the possibility of both players being on the plane to the Caribbean, it is worth looking at who is ahead in the two-man race should the team management decide to go with only one.
The IPL 2024 numbers for Axar compared to Jadeja make for better reading with the ball but not as much with the bat. The 30-year-old in limited opportunities has faced 50 balls but struck at a strike rate of only 114.
Yet, Axar's bowling has been largely impressive, picking up six wickets at an average of 31.83 and an economy of under 6.90.
Further adding to Axar's case is his playing far more T20Is for India over the past year. Since the start of 2023, he has played 15 games compared to Jadeja's two and has picked up 15 wickets at an economy of only seven.
The all-rounder has also been spectacular with the bat in the lower order, averaging over 27 at a strike rate of 157.02 in those 15 outings.
In conclusion, Ravindra Jadeja should get the nod as the second spin-bowling all-rounder behind Axar Patel for the T20 World Cup.
However, should India go with only two spinners in the squad or prefer multiple wrist spinners and it comes down to one of Axar and Jadeja, it is undeniable that the former deserves the nod.
How many spinners India prefers in their T20 World Cup squad and the variety in the department could determine Jadeja's fate, which is currently hanging in the balance.