Ravindra Jadeja Retires From T20I: Three Players Who Will Benefit From The All-Rounder's Retirement

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Senior spinner Ravindra Jadeja called time on his T20I career following Team India's triumph at the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean, where the Men in Blue defeated South Africa in a thrilling final by seven runs.

Jadeja followed star batter Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma in announcing his retirement from the T20 Internationals, but like his retired teammates, the all-rounder will continue playing in ODI and Tests.

The 35-year-old, who made his T20I debut in 2009, played in 74 matches across his 16-year playing career in the shortest format on the international stage, scoring 515 runs in 41 innings at a strike rate of 127.16, and also claimed 54 wickets in 71 innings at an economy rate of 7.13.

Jadeja, who is part of the Chennai Super Kings in IPL, has played several match-winning knocks with the bat for CSK and also for the Indian team in Tests and ODIs.

However, he was not able to replicate the same in T20Is in his limited opportunity out in the middle. While he may have not got much opportunity with the bat, Jadeja did impress with the ball at times.

Jadeja bowled some tight spells to retain his spot in the playing 11 for all these years, leaving a few waiting in the sidelines. Now, his retirement from the format, allows several players an opportunity to make the spot their own.

Three players who will benefit from Ravindra Jadeja's T20I retirement?

Many players can vie for the spot in the playing, but three players with similar skill set are likely to benefit the most from Jadeja's retirement from the T20Is. Axar Patel, who played alongside Jadeja in the same team, is the most obvious primary option now.

Meanwhile, the likes of Shahbaz Ahmed, who has fallen down the pecking order recently, as well as Abhishek Sharma, who has earned his maiden call up to the national side for the Zimbabwe series, could also grab the chance.

Plus, although not like-for-like, Washington Sundar also can make his spot permanent, starting with the T20I series in Zimbabwe. Here is a look at the three players who will be the options to carry on the mantle from Jadeja:

1. Axar Patel: The all-rounder, who played in the same 11 as Jadeja in the bygone World Cup, will be the primary pick in the playing 11 from now. He had missed out on a spot in the team due to Jadeja's presence in the shortest format.

But, the left-arm spinner, who can be handy with the bat like Jadeja, is likely to be the first choice now. The 30-year-old has already played in 60 T20Is for India, scoring 453 runs in 36 innings at a strike rate of 143.35, proving he is a much better batter in the format.

With 58 wickets in 58 innings, Axar also has more wickets to his name whem compared to Jadeja, who had a longer career in terms of years in the format on the international stage.

2. Abhishek Sharma: Should he concentrate more on his left-arm orthodox spin bowling, Abhishek, who is in-line to make his debut soon, can cement his spot as the second spin option with Axar, should India opt to use a team similar to the one used in T20 World Cup.

Unlike Jadeja and Axar, Abhishek also provides the option of an opener for Team India. In 104 T20 appearances, the 23-year-old has scored 2671 runs in 102 innings at a strike rate of 153.59. However, his bowling numbers are not that great, having claimed 32 wickets in 53 innings.

3. Shahbaz Ahmed: The Bengal all-rounder has already figured for India in ODIs, but has never had a great opportunity to showcase his skills. Like Jadeja and Axar, Shahbaz too is a southpaw, who bats in the middle-order.

While he is yet to feature for India in the shortest format, Shahbaz, who played alongside Abhishek in the recent IPL, has enough experience in T20 cricket, scoring 1049 runs and claiming 61 wickets in 97 matches.