"He is just rested for this test": Agarkar clears air on Jadeja's omission for Afghanistan series
Guwahati, May 19
Indian men's cricket team chief selector Ajit Agarkar clarified that ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been rested for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, with no concerns over his place in the longest format.
He stressed that Jadeja remains a key member of India's Test setup and continues to be the team's first-choice spinner.
Agarkar also explained that in ODI cricket, with the next World Cup only over a year away, the selectors are using this period to explore and assess newer options, especially with an eye on conditions in South Africa.
While established players like Jadeja and Axar Patel are well known, this phase is being used to provide opportunities and exposure to emerging talent.
"I think Jadeja's just been rested for this test. I think we just want to try and give him the opportunity; he's aware of it, that's why he's not in the team, he remains a very integral part of the test team. So I think we sort of didn't mention that at the start, it's just this test that he's not part of. With regards to one-day cricket, again what with 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. I mean, we know what Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel can do, and this is the time we try to give some opportunities to some of the other guys. So with regards to the test, you know he remains our number one spinner, and it's only this test that we've, we've not picked him or rested him, rather," Agarkar told the reporters.
Jadeja was part of India's last Test XI against South Africa in November 2025 and also featured in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year.
The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan will be played in Mullanpur from June 6, followed by a three-match ODI series beginning on June 14, with matches scheduled in Dharamshala, Lucknow, and Chennai.
India Test squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel
India ODI squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally some clarity from the management! I was worried they were dropping Jadeja after that poor South Africa tour. He's our best all-rounder in Tests, no doubt. Good to see Agarkar handling it transparently. 👌
Only 15 months for the World Cup? Better start grooming youngsters now rather than rushing at the last moment. But picking Prince Yadav and Harsh Dubey in the ODI squad seems premature. Need experienced backups in case of injuries to main players. Just my 2 paisa. 😊
Agarkar is doing a decent job as selector. Remember when we used to complain about MSK Prasad's selections? At least now there's clear communication about the plan. Jadeja getting rest is fair - he's played non-stop cricket for years. Kuldeep finally getting consistent chances is the real win here. 🇮🇳
One thing I don't understand - if Jadeja is our No.1 Test spinner, why rest him for the only Test against Afghanistan? We're not playing them every month. Why not just pick the strongest XI and wrap up the series? This "resting" culture is getting too much. Sometimes you just play and win. 😤
Interesting to see Gill as captain in both formats. He's got a good cricket brain, but hope the leadership doesn't affect his batting. Jadeja being rested makes sense - he's 36 now and we need him for the next big series against Australia. Smart workload management by Agarkar and co.
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