Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri has thrown his weight behind Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, showing confidence in the all-rounder’s abilities and calling him a vital part of the Indian squad for the 2027 ICC World Cup.
India is currently on Australia tour and despite the unavailability of Hardik Pandya, they have a plethora of all-round players. Despite this, the Gautam Gambhir-coached team did not name experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the 16-member squad, raising many eyebrows.
Ravindra Jadeja is one of India’s greatest modern all-rounders in any format of the game. He had announced his retirement from T20Is along with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, the snub has cast doubt over his availability until the next World Cup in 2027.
Ravi Shastri has backed Ravindra Jadeja’s return for the South Africa World Cup.
Ravindra Jadeja was dropped from the Indian team and in his place the selectors included young all-rounders like Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the squad. Form is no excuse in Jadeja’s case, as he has almost rediscovered his best performance at the age of 36.
Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri believes that despite the humiliation, Jadeja remains an important player for India in the race for the 2027 World Cup. He has gained weight as an all-rounder, drawing praise for his fitness and talent in all three roles on the field.
“2027 is what everyone talks about. Don’t ignore or dismiss Ravindra Jadeja. He will be in the mix, no question about it. He is still fielding as if he is 7-8 years younger than him. It is a privilege to see him chasing the ball on the field.”
“I can understand (why he was not selected) in Australia because there is alphabet and there are only 3 matches, but come to South Africa, where you have to play at different venues against different teams, can play both,” Ravi Shastri said in the ICC review.
“Vorney told us about him from the beginning,” Ricky Ponting said.
Apart from Shastri, even Australian legend Ricky Ponting has praised the Indian star and his unmatched athleticism. He praised his everlasting energy and compared him to the iconic fictional character Benjamin Button, who aged in reverse, that is, becoming younger with increasing age.
Ponting said, “I think I need to get something out of what he’s taking, because he doesn’t look old at all. He’s a modern-day Benjamin Button. I know he picked on me a few times when he first started.”
Ponting shared Shane Warne’s prediction about Ravindra Jadeja, saying, “Warney told us about him from the beginning and once again, he was not wrong. It is difficult to say he is the best fielder ever, but you have put him absolutely at the top.”
Ravindra Jadeja is slowly gaining the status of an all-time great in Test cricket.
Since retiring from T20s and focusing solely on Test cricket with India’s limited participation in ODI bilateral matches, Jadeja has emerged as one of India’s finest all-rounders, and has developed into an excellent middle-order batsman.
He has had limited opportunities in the past, but recently he has dominated the red ball format. His good form peaked in England, where he averaged over 90 and scored over 500 runs in the series. He continued his form against West Indies and the same is expected in the South Africa home series.
Jadeja’s effectiveness cannot be questioned even once, as he has recently emerged as India’s third-highest wicket-taker on home soil, surpassing Harbhajan Singh. Jadeja was also in India’s victorious team in two Champions Trophies and T20 World Cup.
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