As the BCCI announced India squads for Afghanistan Test and ODIs on May 19, two names were notable omissions. There were no Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in either of the squads. Jadeja has been India’s mainstay in Test cricket for over a decade, especially at home. Similarly, Axar has been the go-to left-arm spinner/all-rounder in Jadeja’s absence, especially in ODIs. However, the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI Selection Committee chose to go with new names, instead of relying on the two veterans. That’s a clear hint of what the future will hold for Indian cricket.
Agarkar revealed that Jadeja was not dropped. In fact, he was rested. But his future remains doubtful in ODIs.
“With regard to one-day cricket, we have 15-16 months left to that World Cup. Somewhere around there, we want to obviously try and assess what our options are, particularly keeping in mind the conditions in South Africa and give a little bit of exposure to some of the newer guys. We know what Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel can do. This is the time we try and give some opportunity to some of the other guys,” Ajit Agarkar explained the decision to exclude Jadeja.
Why no Ravindra Jadeja in IND vs AFG series?
Is Jadeja really rested? Maybe not. To be fair on that assessment, Jadeja has missed the last IPL 2026 match for Rajasthan Royals due to a niggle. While RR did not reveal the extent of the injury, if it’s serious, it’s important that he is rested from the IND vs AFG series completely. The one-off Test is not part of the World Test Championship cycle. In fact, his dwindling returns in Test cricket, especially at home, could have played in the selectors’ minds as well. With two important series against Australia at home and New Zealand away coming up at the end of the year, India need to have a backup ready.
In this WTC 2025-27 cycle, Jadeja has picked up 25 wickets in 17 innings at an average of 37.72 and a strike rate of 70.7. At home, against South Africa, he wasn’t as effective either. And that decline in performance has forced the selectors to prepare backup plans. The one thing that India would miss is his batting. Jadeja is India’s third highest-scorer in this WTC cycle with 725 runs, only behind Shubman Gill (950) and KL Rahul (796). More often than not, Jadeja has stabilised innings with India’s middle-order struggling for runs.
As for ODIs, Jadeja hasn’t been in his best form in the 50-over format, neither with the bat or the ball. Since the World Cup 2023, Ravindra Jadeja has scored just 149 runs in 10 innings with no match-winning performances. With the ball, he has only 12 wickets in 13 innings. His economy rate has also shot up to over six in the last two ODI series against New Zealand (6.28) and South Africa (6.13).
Time for new blood
But with selectors opting for Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar, they have given a clear hint of things to come. Both Dubey and Suthar are left-arm spinners and all-rounders. Suthar picked up 18 wickets in five innings, while Dubey had 14 scalps in Ranji Trophy 2025-26. Suthar also had a century. Dubey did struggle with the bat last season, but in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, he scored 476 runs with five fifties to his name.
Both are 23 years old and have a long way ahead. Hence, both are good backup options. Selectors could have also gone with Shams Mulani. But he is 29 and may not be part of the future planning.
Suthar & Dubey in Ranji Trophy 2025-26
| Format | Inns | Runs | Wickets | 50/100 | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manav Suthar | 5 | 125 | 18 | 0/1 | 8/42 |
| Harsh Dubey | 5 | 63 | 14 | 0 | 6/63 |
Curious case of Axar Patel
The case of Axar Patel could be one of a poor run of form. He has not been preferred in either Test or ODIs. In the only Test he played against South Africa, he bowled just 20 overs. He has been considered a backup bowler, instead of a regular bowler in red-ball. In white-ball cricket, he has only been preferred for T20Is, where his returns with the bat have been concerning.
Even in IPL 2026, he has bowled just 40 overs for 10 wickets. With the bat, he has averaged 16.75 and a strike rate of 125.23. Before he scored 56 and 34 in the last two matches, his batting average was just 6.28 in 8 innings. He needed a break to get his rhythm back with both bat and ball. And the selectors have provided that.
When the BCCI announces the T20I squad for the Ireland and England tour, he will surely find his place. But for ODIs and Test, the selectors continue to trust backups and Kuldeep Yadav.
| Format | Runs | Avg | SR | Wickets | Econ | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20I | 167 | 18.55 | 119.28 | 26 | 7.74 | 19.5 |
| ODI | 75 | 37.5 | 94.93 | 3 | 4.45 | 29.66 |
| Test | 42 | 21 | N/A | 2 | 28.5 | 28.5 |
India squads for Afghanistan series
Test squad
Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel.
ODI squad
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (subject to fitness), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (subject to fitness), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
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