Decoding Ravindra Jadeja's all-round ODI run since 2022
Team India has ticked most of the boxes ahead of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup at home. In their last ODI assignment before the mega event, the Men in Blue beat Australia 2-1 at home. However, Ravindra Jadeja's form heading into the tournament might be a cause of concern for the Indian team. Here we decode his recent struggles in ODIs.
Why does this story matter?
Hailed as one of the finest all-rounders going around, Jadeja has been a vital part of the Indian team for over a decade. He would be the team's designated number-seven batter at the 2023 World Cup, starting on October 5. While Jadeja will have the onus to play fiery knocks in the end overs, his recent ODI batting form has not been great.
Jadeja fails to pack a punch yet again
In the final ODI against Australia in Rajkot, India were 233/5 in a chase of 353 when Jadeja arrived in the middle. Despite the required run rate going over 10, the southpaw failed to accumulate quick runs and ended up scoring a 36-ball 35 as India lost by 66 runs. With the ball, he gave away 61 runs in 10 wicketless overs.
Just two 30-plus scores since 2022
Besides the recent game against Australia, Jadeja has crossed the 30-run mark in ODIs only once since January 2022, having scored a 69-ball 45* against Australia earlier this year. 29 (44), 7* (15), 45* (69), 16 (39), 18 (33), 16* (21), 10 (21), 8* (7), 14 (22), 4 (19), 7 (12), 3*(8), 13* (9), and 35 (36) read his ODI scores since last year.
A strike rate of 63.73 since last year
As per ESPNcricinfo, Jadeja has compiled just 225 across 14 ODI innings since the start of last year at 28.12. Moreover, his strike rate reads a paltry 63.73. With the ball, he has managed to keep the scoring rate down in this period but has not picked up many wickets. His tally reads 16 wickets in 18 games (ER: 4.87).
Decent batting returns in T20s, Tests
Interestingly, Jadeja has done well in T20s and Tests lately. Since 2022, he has smoked 507 T20 runs at an average of 28.16 and 135.92, respectively. In this period, he has scored 609 Test runs at 50.75. In this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) final, Jadeja smashed 10 runs off the final two balls to win the title for Chennai Super Kings.
Here are Jadeja's overall ODI numbers
Coming to his overall ODI record, Jadeja owns pretty decent batting numbers. He has complied 2636 runs across 186 ODIs at 32.15 (50s: 13). His strike rate of 84.43 is on the lower side. Meanwhile, the left-arm spinner completed 200 ODI wickets during the recently-concluded Asia Cup. He has now raced to 204 wickets at an economy rate of 4.92 (5W: 1).
Jadeja joined Kapil on this list
Notably, Jadeja became only the second Indian to record a double of 2,500 runs and 200 wickets in ODI cricket. Only 11 players have accomplished the milestone so far. Among Indians, Kapil Dev is the only other player with this milestone. The former Indian skipper finished his ODI career with 3,783 runs and 253 wickets in 225 ODIs.
