Ashwin, Jadeja and the need for role clarity

Bengaluru, October 15: When R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja did not feature in the ODIs against Sri Lanka, chief selector MSK Prasad attributed their absence to resting them after the Tests.

Thereafter Australia visited India for five ODIs and three T20Is and the series against New Zealand is imminent. The selectors have sidestepped Ashwin and Jadeja for these bilateral ties too.

The BCCI has not given any official explanation for their exclusion and it stands on the point of "being rested." But how long the Board can abstain from giving a clear picture on the situation pertaining to Ashwin and Jadeja?

Are they still in contention as far as ODIs are concerned or has the cricket establishment taken a no-U-turn road towards younger generation - Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel? After all, Ashwin and Jadeja have had enough 'rest' since the Test series against Sri Lanka.

It is important because India have begun their build-up for the World Cup 2019 in right earnest as indicated by head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli.

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By appointing the backroom staff till the World Cup, the Board has ensured stability on the ideation front.

The BCCI should show the same approach when it comes to the players as well. It will only help in creating role clarity in players and chart their own course as per the team requirement.

Of course, Chahal, Yadav and Patel have done quite well in the given chances but is it prudent enough to leave out Ashwin and Jadeja at this stage?

In fact, theirs is a tad curious case. Both Ashwin and Jadeja came to the Indian team initially through IPL before taking their place in the one-day side. Their inclusion in the Test side was met with some resistance.

They went through rough waters before positioning themselves as premier bowlers of India in Tests. Ashwin has 292 wickets from 52 Tests while Jadeja, his loyal foil, has taken 155 wickets from 32 Tests.

It is no secret that the efforts of Ashwin and Jadeja have played a pivotal role in India's rise to the pinnacle of ICC Test rankings. But in one-dayers their performances have not precisely matched those in the longest format.

The Tamil Nadu off-spinner has bagged 150 wickets from 111 ODIs at 32.91. His overseas figures stand at 42 wickets from 41 one-dayers at 42.78.

The Saurashtra left-arm spinner, who has perplexed batsmen with his unrelenting accuracy in Tests, has taken 155 wickets from 136 ODIs at 35.87.

Let’s talk face -to- face !! Just launched a Skype Call contest on my App, Exclusively. https://t.co/3rf0PYC9ja pic.twitter.com/VON3BsClbB

— Ravindrasinh jadeja (@imjadeja) September 5, 2017

The bare numbers are not mindboggling for sure but here we are talking about two senior pros who has played no insignificant part in India's rise to the top in two formats - Tests and ODIs.

The powers that be should hold a discussion - if not already - with them about their role soon so that their confidence and preparations are not hampered. It is just not Ashwin and Jadeja, the likes of Ishant Sharma and KL Rahul, who did not find a place in the ODI squad for the New Zealand series, too should be given a clear picture.

Not so long ago, Rahul was promised an extended run at No 4 in the limited over format but he hardly got a look-in before being dumped. Here, we are not missing the fact that Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav have done no harm to their causes and deserve their opportunities in the one-day set up.

Always enjoy my time with the kids, @gennextcricket nothing better than sharing what I know. #cricketforlife pic.twitter.com/jxJtYvZVUY

— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) October 13, 2017

But these professionals, who know what it takes to cope with a hard blow, should be told in clear terms about their future roles. Rest. Rotation. All those euphemisms could be used at a different, much lower level.