Jadeja still in scheme of things, Tilak Varma very close: Agarkar on India's ODI plans before 2027 World Cup

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], October 4 (ANI): India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar declared that seasoned all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja remains in the "scheme of things" for the World Cup 2027, while Tilak Varma, who has dazzled with his prolific form, is "very close" to breaking into the ODI fold.
After India engineered a commanding victory by an innings and 140 runs against the West Indies, India announced its squads for the white-ball tour of Australia, which will commence with the first ODI on October 19 in Perth. Jadeja, who was adjudged the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 104 and match figures of 4/69, was a notable absentee in the 15-member squad for the ODI fixture, which saw the return of batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The management has stuck with Kuldeep Yadav as its premier spinner, with Washington Sundar and Axar Patel included in the mix as the two ball-tweaking all-rounders. The inclusion of the troika of spinners left no room for Jadeja. Despite missing out on the white-ball tour, Agarkar explained the rationale behind the 36-year-old's exclusion, which stems from strategy, combination and the nature of Australian surfaces.
"With regards to Jaddu, at the moment, taking two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is. But there will be some competition for places. Of course, he was there in the Champions Trophy squad because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there," Agarkar told reporters in a press conference on Saturday in Ahmedabad.
"At the moment, we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washi and Kuldeep there as well. I don't think we are going to need more than that in Australia. He is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is, what he offers us as a batter and a bowler. It's just a short series. You can't accommodate everyone," he added.
Agarkar further delved into what the final XI for India would look like during the three 50-over contests in Australia.
Shubman Gill, who was crowned the new ODI captain, is likely to open alongside his predecessor, Rohit Sharma, leaving Yashasvi Jaiswal on the sidelines. The rest of the order would likely comprise Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul.
Tilak Varma, who recently boosted his credentials in the Asia Cup final, was the prime architect of Pakistan's downfall with his match-winning 69* off 53. He extended his prolific form in the 50-over format, following his composed 94 off 122, during India A's defeat against Australia A in Kanpur on Friday night in the second unofficial One Day.
While reflecting on Tilak's omission, Agarkar stressed the minimal space in the squad in the short, swift tempo of the three ODIs, but acknowledged that a spot in the future isn't far away from him.
"At the moment, Rohit and Gill are likely to open. People tend to forget how good Yashasvi is as well. Tilak is very close. Again, we have taken a 15-man squad. It is a three-match series. It is not like a test series where you can carry a few extras which you might need. You may not end up needing more than those," Agarkar said.
"You are not going to make too many changes in the three games that you play. It is a short series. We have got a few more one-days coming after that. We will see how we can try to rotate players. They are both excellent players and are putting their faces. But at this point, there is no real place," he added.
India's ODI squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)