After the Indian team lost the second ODI against New Zealand in Rajkot, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan did not hold back when speaking. The left-arm pacer criticised the Saurashtra cricketer’s recent performances and questioned the place of India’s top all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, in the current ODI lineup.
With Shubman Gill scoring a strong 56 and KL Rahul leading the innings with a tough 112-not out, the Men in Blue batted first and amassed a respectable 284 for the loss of seven wickets. Irfan Pathan, however, was harshly critical of India’s struggles in the middle overs and their incapacity to turn beginnings into a larger total.
After the Indian top order’s mini-collapse, Jadeja contributed a strong 73-run partnership, however he was dismissed on 27 off 44 balls. Irfan Pathan , who feels that the 36-year-old should have batted with more desire, has criticised Jadeja for not being able to show off his greatest batting abilities in 50-over cricket.
“Where did India lose the game? Ravindra Jadeja only managed to sustain a strike rate of 60 [61.36] during his 27-run innings, whereas KL Rahul played with a strike rate of 90 [121.73]. After India lost the second match by seven wickets, Irfan Pathan posted a video on his YouTube account stating that Rajkot is also Jadeja’s home field.
“Jadeja is the best all-around player in Test cricket after Kapil Dev. However, Jadeja finds it difficult to rotate the strike in ODI cricket. Jadeja was unable to play with the strike rate of 80 that he should have. Since 2020, Jadeja has not scored a fifty in an ODI.
There is a lot of strain on him,” Irfan Pathan continued.
Given the left-arm spinner’s dismal performance with the ball in the previous ODI series, the cricketer-turned-commentator also questioned why Jadeja was selected over fellow left-arm all-rounder Axar Patel.
“In the last five games at 200, Jadeja has only taken one wicket with the ball. For any senior player, they are bad figures. Without a doubt, Axar Patel is ahead of him. Jadeja needs to play well in the upcoming match because it was a major contributing factor to India’s loss,” he continued.
Jadeja will be the centre of attention for the series decider after a few lacklustre performances in the series. The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore will host the third and final game of the series on Sunday, January 18.
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