The announcement of the India squad for the South Africa ODI series has surprised many, especially with the return of Ravindra Jadeja and the exclusion of Axar Patel. Although it may first look like a regular rotation or just managing the players’ workload, the selectors’ decision comes out to be either a very good move or a possible mistake.
India Squad for South Africa ODI Series
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c & wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Dhruv Jurel.
Ravindra Jadeja’s comeback has been one of the most talked-about topics in Indian cricket circles and one of the most sought-after comparisons with Washington Sundar. The return of Ravindra Jadeja has pretty much been the same as the case with Axar, as both of them are left-arm orthodox spin bowling all-rounders who help to balance out the playing XI. Jadeja’s extensive experience and history of success still give him the sway over other spinners. At the same time, Jadeja becomes an absolute treasure for any side with 2800-plus ODI runs and 231 wickets at below five-economy all this on the back of his magic skills, witnessed in the batting, bowling, and even catching. He last donned the Indian colors in the 50-over format during the Champions Trophy 2025.
Washington Sundar, on the other hand, brings something new to the table. As an off-spinner, he not only supports the control and variation of Jadeja’s left-arm orthodox spin but also chokes the runs in the middle overs. With his height and accuracy, Sundar gives India the much-needed advantage of being deep in both departments. His recent showing in Australia has proved not only that he is a trustworthy lower-order batter but also that he is a bowler who can change his game according to the situation very well.
He was the second most wicket-taker for India in the series with five wickets, which came from three matches at an average of 19 and at a rate of five runs per over.
Axar Patel’s non-selection led to debates concerning tactical changes and management of player workloads, among others.
The case of Axar Patel’s exclusion is not connected to his form or fitness, but to the composition of the team. He performed quietly but effectively in the recent ODI series against Australia where he picked up three wickets at an economy of 4.45 and scored a significant 75 runs, which was the second-highest for India. But the decision to leave out Axar, who was not performing poorly, was met with frustration by both fans and critics.
Ajit Agarkar, chief selector, when the squad for the Australia series was announced, said, “We can only accommodate one left-arm spinner in the team, and with Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav being there, we don’t need more. Jadeja has to be the one that misses out since it’s only a short series.”
His words indicated that Axar was preferred in case of overseas tours like Australia where’s pitch is more suitable for pace. Still, Jadeja was dulled on the South African tour without a proper reason. This brought about a change that made it difficult to comprehend the different roles.
Axar has been the one playing at No.5 for over a year now, as he has been the one who broke the top six’s right-handed batting dominance and has played crucial knocks in high-pressure matches, including the T20 World Cup 2024 final and Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final. However, the fact that Rishabh Pant is now part of the squad as a keeper-batter means that the need for a left-handed batter in the top five is there, allowing Jadeja to bat lower down at seven.
But with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer coming back, the space in the top six tightens, and there might be a situation of an all right-handed top six batting order.
Moving ahead, the options India has among Jadeja, Axar, and Sundar will be very interesting. It will be important how these three spin-bowling all-rounders make up their roles and claims for India’s balance, more so with the ODI World Cup 2027 at the doorstep.
As of now, the conclusion that makes the most sense is that Axar has been rested. In the case of a five-match T20I series after an ODI series and with Jadeja retired, Axar is still the most logical choice.
