Irfan Pathan Singles Out Major Culprit For India's 2nd ODI Loss vs New Zealand: "Poor Numbers For Any Player"

India suffered defeat in the second ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday, as Daryl Mitchell smashed a hundred to guide the Kiwis to victory. India were able to take only three wickets, and thereby, failed to put New Zealand under pressure. Following the match, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan criticised the performance of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Pathan claimed that Jadeja played his innings at a relatively low strike-rate, and that was one of the reasons where India lost the match. Pathan also raised concern regarding Jadeja's spot in India's ODI playing XI.

"Where did India lose the match? KL Rahul played with a strike rate of 90 but Ravindra Jadeja only maintained a strike rate of 60 during his innings of 27," Pathan said, speaking on his YouTube channel.

"Rajkot is also Jadeja's home ground. In Test cricket, if there is an all-rounder after Kapil Dev, it's Jadeja. But when it comes to ODI cricket, Jadeja struggles in rotating the strike. He needed to play with a strike rate of 80, but couldn't," Pathan added.

Jadeja arrived at the crease in the 24th over, with India having lost the wickets of Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli in quick succession.

However, while Jadeja stitched a partnership with KL Rahul for the nearly 15 overs, he managed to score just 27 off 44 balls, hitting just one boundary.

Pathan pointed out a few concerning statistics to explain why Jadeja's spot in India's ODI setup could be under threat.

"Jadeja hasn't scored a fifty in ODIs since 2020. He is under plenty of pressure. With the ball, Jadeja has managed only one wicket in the last five games. His average is 200.

"These are poor numbers for any senior player. Axar Patel is no doubt ahead of him. Jadeja must perform in the next game and it was a decisive factor in India's defeat," Pathan said.

Jadeja, 37, is a veteran of 209 ODIs, during which he has made 2,893 runs and taken 232 wickets.

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