'Didn't expect him to be in India's squad, why would you take a player who...': Ex-CSK star questions Ravindra Jadeja's Champions Trophy selection

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Subramaniam Badrinath has questioned Ravindra Jadeja's selection for India's ODI squad for England series and Champions Trophy 2025 squad. India's veteran Ravindra Jadeja has been included in the squad for both ODI series and Champions Trophy alongside two other spinners all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.

Ravindra Jadeja's selection comes as a surprise given that he hasn't played ODI cricket since the ODI World Cup 2023. He was notably absent from the squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka in August 2024, which featured most of the senior players, with Patel and Sundar being preferred over him. However, Jadeja has now been recalled to the squad for both the England ODI series and the Champions Trophy. Notably, while ODI series against England is set to start from February 6, Champions Trophy will get underway from February 19. Meanwhile, Jadeja's presence in India's squad for both England series and Champions Trophy left Badrinath surprised. He said that he didn't expect Jadeja to be in the squad because there is little space for him in India's playing XI.

"There are a few spots which are a little bit tricky. I am honestly surprised that Ravindra Jadeja is in the squad. I didn't expect him to be in the squad because there is very little space for him in the XI. So why would you actually take a player in the squad who might not feature in the actual playing XI? So that is a little bit tricky," said Badrinath on Star Sports.

It will be a tough choice to accommodate both Jadeja and Axar Patel in India's playing XI. Axar notably outperformed Jadeja in the T20 World Cup 2024, where Jadeja managed only one wicket in seven games, while Patel delivered match-winning performances in both the semi-final and the final. In the ODI World Cup 2023, Jadeja benefited from an injury to Axar just before the tournament started. He went on to score 120 runs at an average of 40 and took 16 wickets at an average of 24.87. However, his performance faltered in the knockout stages, going wicketless in both the semi-final and the final.

It will be interesting to see whether Jadeja will make it to India's playing XI in England's ODI series and Champions Trophy 2025

India's ODI squad for England series:

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami.

India's Champions Trophy squad:

Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja