'Jadeja Doesn't Know What To Do'

'Ravindra Jadeja is caught in two minds -- whether to attack or flight.'

Given Ravindra Jadeja's recent performances in ODIs, he hasnt been up to the mark, and murmurs have begun to surface. He has just one wicket from his last five ODI appearances.

The solitary wicket aside, Jadeja has conceded 257 runs off 42 overs across these five matches, reflecting how expensive he has been.

With the bat, the second ODI against New Zealand offered another worrying snapshot. Jadeja walked in at 118/4, a situation that once played to all his strengths. Instead, he crawled to 27 off 44 balls.

With over 20 months remaining for next year's ODI World Cup, it's still too early to say that the 37 year old's place in the team is in doubt for the 50 over World Cup. However, there is the consistent Axar Patel breathing down his neck.

Under pressure, a little bit of heat is certainly on Jadeja, especially as he remains wicketless so far in the New Zealand series. On Wednesday, at his home ground in Rajkot, Jadeja failed to strike in his eight overs.

'Where is Axar Patel? Where is he?'

Former India captain Kris Srikkanth summed up the growing unease around Ravindra Jadeja's place in India's ODI setup.

'Jadeja is one of my favourites. But he also does not seem to know what to do. He is caught in two minds -- whether to attack or flight,' Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel Cheeky Cheeka.

'Why not bring Axar back? Why not play three spinners and three pacers? Is there a rule that the bowling all-rounder should only be a medium pacer?'

Srikkanth questioned the team management's reluctance to persist with Axar despite repeated evidence of his impact on the biggest stages.

'Axar would have been an ideal candidate for today's match. The sixth bowler was missing. He has a terrific record. He played the Champions Trophy and did very well. He won the T20 World Cup for us,' Srikkanth said.

'Suddenly, he is nowhere. Where is Axar Patel? Where is he? The team is suffering at the end of the day.'

As far as the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand, currently locked at 1-1, is concerned, Jadeja's left-arm spin will be essential in the decider in Indore on Sunday.