Former India fast-bowler Ajit Agarkar feels Virat Kohli had no option but to pick Ravindra Jadeja in the playing eleven for the first ODI against West Indies.
Ravindra Jadeja has not looked back since being given a chance in the final Test in England. After warming the bench for the first four games, he played the final game and made an immediate impact.
He took seven wickets in the game and scored 86 not out in the first innings to prove his worth.
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A spate of injuries then saw him returning to the Indian ODI squad for the Asia Cup and he justified the faith show in him once again. In his comeback game, he picked the Man of the Match award after picking up 4 wickets for just 29 against Bangladesh. He also played a couple of impressive knocks in pressure situations as India won the Asia Cup.
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He then further enhanced his reputation by slamming his maiden Test century in the first Test against West Indies.
Not surprisingly, he retained his spot in the ODI team for the first two games against West Indies. But surprisingly, he was picked in the playing eleven ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. And Ajit Agarkar feels it was a forced decision for Virat Kohli.
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“It is just how the team is at the moment that he has been forced to play Jadeja. There would have been a third spinner if the pitch would have had a bit more for spinners. But the pitch looks good and you need three seamers. He (Virat Kohli) has actually been forced to play Jadeja,” Agarkar told ESPNCricinfo.
“If Jadeja doesn’t bowl well, then he has to look for options as to how to go about it. The way the squad is at the moment – there are far too many specialised batsman and specialised bowlers – so Jadeja seems the only player who can do a bit of both. So he has been forced into the selection for the first game,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jadeja had a mixed outing with the ball. While he managed to pick up a couple of wickets, he ended up conceding 66 runs off his ten overs. West Indies, on the other hand, managed to score a daunting 322 for 8 in the allotted 50 overs.
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