‘He’s playing, but not contributing’ – Former India batter questions Ravindra Jadeja’s ODI selection over Axar Patel

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has opined that Ravindra Jadeja is not contributing enough to the ODI setup and Axar Patel may just be leading the selection race between for the 2027 World Cup. Jadeja sent down nine wicketless overs and scored only four runs in the series-opening clash against New Zealand in Vadodara on January 11.

Chopra pointed out that Axar has been provided with additional leadership responsibilities as well. The renowned commentator mentioned that Axar would have started over Jadeja had the ODI World Cup commenced immediately.

“What is happening with Jadeja? If you have a race between Jadeja and Axar Patel in white-ball cricket, I think Axar is ahead. He is winning this race. He has once again been made the T20I vice-captain. Even in ODI cricket, if the World Cup had been starting tomorrow and the Indian team had to pick one spinner between the two, India would have picked Axar Patel because Ravindra Jadeja is playing, but he is not contributing,” shared Chopra in a video on his YouTube channel.

Although Chopra was clear that he did not want to assess Jadeja’s potential as a batter on the basis of one innings, he flagged the spin-bowling all-rounder’s recent international performances with the ball as a major concern.

“In bowling, in the last four matches, he has picked up one wicket against South Africa and no wicket here. I don’t think he has completed his quota of overs even once. In batting, you send him even at No. 5, that he can go ahead of KL Rahul, but a lot of runs aren’t being scored. I won’t judge him with one innings, but it’s not right,” he added.

Axar has not been picked in the 15-member squad for the ODIs. However, he will be serving as the vice-captain for India in the upcoming five-match T20I series against the Kiwis as well as the 2026 T20 World Cup. Jadeja, on the other hand, is not a part of either 20-over squad.