Senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was benched in India’s third ODI against West Indies in Mullanpur. His declining ODI numbers were certainly a concern, but the veteran claimed two wickets in the second game in Guwahati. Now, with Axar Patel and Washington Sundar not available due to the Asian Games, Jadeja was expected to retain his spot in the playing XI, but that wasn’t the case. He was replaced by Anshul Kamboj.
However, after a five-wicket beating at the hands of West Indies, India captain Shubman Gill refused to accept that Jadeja was dropped from the playing XI. He noted the importance of giving opportunities to other players, keeping the World Cup in mind. The 27-year-old also pointed out of planning a meeting with the selectors to discuss the squad for the World Cup. During which, he indirectly hinted that Jadeja might not be in the plans.
Firstly, I don’t think Jaddu bhai was dropped. We decided to rest him because we had the opportunity today to give other players some game time. When a series is only three matches long, it becomes very difficult to give the players sitting on the bench the experience they need,” Gill said in the post-match presentation.
“Going forward, I think we’ll have discussions with the selectors about which player, keeping the World Cup in mind, can contribute more to the team in those conditions based on their skill set. We’ll then decide who we want to have in the squad,” he added.
Gill expected better from Nabi, Kamboj
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana, India were able to hand debut caps to Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj in the series. Nabi played the second game but ended up conceding 84 runs in 8.5 overs without any wicket. Kamboj, who played the third match, conceded 82 in his nine overs. Thus, it hasn’t been a kind outing for any of the debutants.
Reflecting upon that, Gill noted that he expected better from the pacers but also noted that the conditions weren’t ideal. He believes that the players might get better after a poor start and cash in on their opportunity.
“I think they they would have liked to done a much better job. But, you know, a little bit harsh on them. It's not easy to, you know, come and to be able to deliver straight away. In international cricket, sometimes you require a bit of time. A very, you know, very few players just come in and start delivering for the team. And I hope that they learn from their mistakes, from their opportunities that they get,” Gill answered India TV’s query.
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