Jadeja not dropped, still very important for India: Agarkar

Ravindra Jadeja was not added to India’s ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series, but Ajit Agarkar insisted that the all-rounder continues to remain in the scheme of things.

Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is after the T20 World Cup win last month. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

There have been debates over the future of Ravindra Jadeja after the all-rounder was omitted from India’s ODI squad for the tour of Sri Lanka. However, Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of the senior selection committee, made it clear that Jadeja, who announced his retirement from T20Is shortly after winning the T20 World Cup, has not been ‘dropped’.

“It would have been pointless to take both him and Axar (Patel) for this short series. We know what Jaddu has done. He’s had a terrific World Cup (T20). So, no, he’s not at all dropped,” Agarkar said.

“All options are open. But there was (a chance that) either of them would have played all three games if we’d taken both. There’s a big Test season coming up where he’s (Jadeja) likely to feature in a lot of the Tests. I don’t think three games would have mattered…”

Jadeja has been an integral part of India’s all-format squads, and according to Agarkar, he continues to remain in the scheme of things. “We probably should have clarified that after the selection he’s not getting dropped. He’s still within the scheme of things and very important as a player,” said the former India fast bowler.

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Recently, BCCI stated that international players, when not on national duty, should make themselves available for domestic tournaments. Echoing similar sentiments, Agarkar stated that a chunk of international players should feature in at least the first game of the Duleep Trophy in early September - weeks before the Test series against Bangladesh begins.

“I haven’t discussed with Gautam yet. It’s not always easy. But there will certainly be enough players out of that squad that are likely to play the first (Duleep Trophy) game at least. That’s the only game they can really play. We’ll sit down and discuss which guys really need to play,” Agarkar said.

“It’s nice for the competition if all your top players come and play. It is not easy with such a packed and long season, it’s tough for the players if they have a week off somewhere to make them play. There will be some in the squad who will play…”