Former India batter turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has added that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s poor form with the bat in ODIs is a worry heading into the World Cup. Chopra again said that while there has been plenty of talk around the No. 8 batter, Jadeja too has failed to do well at the No. 7 position in ODIs.

Speaking of his ODI record in 2023, Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “If you take out that innings of 45 not out, his average comes down to 15. That is not a good story. He bats down the order, but still there are a lot of single-digit scores. Another aspect that is worrying is that he has played 243 balls in 2023, has hit nine fours and is still to hit a six. This is a bit shocking. Hopefully, he does it in the World Cup and the ODI series before that where he is the vice-captain. But the numbers are not good and it has to change as Jadeja is a very vital cog. We are talking about No. 8, but Jadeja needs to score at No. 7.”

However, continuing his analysis of Jadeja, Aakash Chopra added that his performance with the ball in ODIs wasn’t good of late. In 2023, he has picked up 11 wickets in 12 matches.

“Looking at his bowling in ODIs in 2023, it is again not a great story. He has claimed 11 wickets in 12 matches, which includes two three-wicket hauls, one of which came against Nepal. In the other 10 matches, he has claimed only five wickets. Not a good thing with the World Cup coming up. Since 2019 World Cup, he has been taking one wicket a game on an average.“The other thing that has been very good has been his economy. He’s been very economical, going at 4.5 runs per over since the start of 2023. It’s important for Jadeja to come into wicket-taking form,” Aakash Chopra concluded.