Ravindra Jadeja failed to make a mark with both bat and ball against the Kiwis.
While the veteran all-rounder went wicketless throughout the series, he returned with scores of 4, 27 and 12. Even during the series-deciding defeat in Indore, Jadeja threw away his wicket at a crucial point when Virat Kohli was trying his best to drag India past the winning line.
The 37-year-old could scalp only one batter in the previous three-match ODI series against South Africa at home. His returns with the bat were poor as well. Hence, calls are growing for the selectors and team management to ditch Jadeja and bring Axar Patel on board.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also weighed in on Ravindra Jadeja’s dismal show, saying the road ahead is difficult for the seasoned campaigner especially with Axar waiting in the wings.
“See, it is a very challenging time for Jadeja. We all know that Axar Patel is right back on his heels. The fact is that Jadeja has done well in ODIs; he is also playing the Test format. But it isn't easy for Jadeja because it is more about his batting. There are talks emerging about his low strike rate against spinners. This is way too early on anybody's cricket or future,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“We have the T20 World Cup and the IPL after this. Remember that Jadeja will play the IPL. The performances there will lead to a decision. It is too early to make a decision on anybody,” he added.
Ashwin said he will always be jealous of Jadeja’s abilities, but finds it difficult to understand why the latter doesn't experiment much and add new tricks to his bowling arsenal.
“Jadeja's strength sometimes turns into his weakness. I sometimes get jealous. The kind of ability he has skills in batting, bowling and fielding. But he doesn't do one thing? He never goes out of his strengths. He has never really flirted with new things,” Ashwin stated.
“He is a bona fide legend. He has nothing to lose, so I would like to see him experiment. I have seen him bowling carrom ball in the net practice, but he has never done so in a match. Would love to see him get a bit funky,” he further remarked.
Ashwin was blunt in his assessment of India’s home series loss against the Kiwis, saying the Shubman Gill-led side were soft and that the team has been finding it difficult to come up with solutions under pressure lately.
“It was a tough series; India were soft. Very surprising. India shouldn't have lost this series, but they have because I think we were a bit soft. At this point in time, this team is not able to respond. The teams are coming in better prepared to face this Indian team. They are bowling better spin and playing spin better,” Ashwin said.