Kapil had recently expressed his concern that arrogance seemed to have seeped into the current Indian team, with players appearing to believe they know everything.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the crucial third ODI against West Indies in Trinidad, Jadeja clarified that the team’s sole focus is on winning for India, and they harbor no personal agendas. Their dedication and determination remain directed towards achieving victory and representing the country with pride.
“Everyone has their own opinion. Ex-players have full right to share their opinion, but I don’t think there is any arrogance in this team,” Jadeja said.
“Everyone is enjoying their cricket and everyone is hard-working. No one has taken anything for granted. They are giving their 100 per cent. Such comments generally come when Indian team loses a match.
“This is a good bunch of boys, this is a good group. We are representing India and that is our main aim. There is no personal agenda,” he added.
‘Team combination for Asia Cup decided’
Jadeja confirmed that the combination for the upcoming Asia Cup, commencing August 30, has been finalized, even though there were some experimental changes during the ODI series against West Indies.
In the ongoing ODI series, India rested captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the second ODI and the team suffered a six-wicket defeat, following its five-wicket victory in the first match.
Jadeja said the team management has already settled on the squad for the Asia Cup, emphasizing their strategic planning and readiness for the upcoming tournament.
“This is the series before the Asia Cup and World Cup, where we can experiment, we can try out new combinations. It will give us an idea about the team’s balance, strengths and weaknesses,” Jadeja told reporters on eve of the series decider.
India’s 50-over assignments after the the tour of the Caribbeans include the Asia Cup, followed by a three-match series against Australia and the all important ODI World Cup in October.
“Captain and team management know what combination they are going to play. There is no confusion at all. We have already decided what is going to be the combination in the Asia Cup…But it’s more about trying out a particular player or batter at a batting position.”
In the crucial third match on Tuesday, India are expected to continue giving game-time to their promising young players.
(AI image)
About the defeat in the second ODI, Jadeja said, “We were not disheartened by the loss. Our experiments didn’t cause the defeat. Sometimes, external factors, like conditions, also play a significant role.”
“We are trying different combinations. We can try different batters at different positions. This is the series where we can afford to chop and change. Young players also need that international experience, they also need game-time,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
