Speculation Mounts Over Ravindra Jadeja’s ODI Retirement Following Emotional Gesture by Virat Kohli, Fans React on Internet

Speculation is rampant about whether the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy final could potentially be the last ODI match for some of India's most prominent cricketers, with particular focus on senior players like Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.

While no official communication has been provided by any players or the team, netizens have come to the conclusion that Jadeja might be playing his final match, after Virat Kohli was spotted giving his long-time teammate a hug after his 10-over spell on Sunday in the final in Dubai.

Jadeja finished a very economical and accurate spell in the middle overs, bowling out his quote while conceding just 30 runs, and also taking the important wicket of Tom Latham to break a growing partnership between the left-hander and Daryl Mitchell.

Fans noticed how Kohli had previously shared a hug with Steven Smith after their semifinal, with the Australian great stepping away from ODI cricket after that loss. He was also seen embracing R Ashwin before the all-rounder announced his own surprise international retirement during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India poised to lift Champions Trophy title

If this is indeed his farewell to the team, Jadeja will finish his career with 231 wickets in 204 matches. Having announced his retirement from T20I cricket after winning the T20I World Cup last year, Jadeja continues his slow retreat after a fine long service to the Indian national cricket team.

While speculation remains about what the status of Rohit and Kohli will be in the wake of this tournament, and whether or not they will keep themselves in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup. At 36 years old, Jadeja has been in the scheme of things for the Indian national team for over 15 years, and his retirement spells a period of transition.

In the final, Jadeja was the support act for a pair of phenomenal spells delivered by Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, who took two wickets apiece to restrict the New Zealand scoring rate. However, despite a strong bowling performance, New Zealand were able to put up a respectable fight via a quickfire half-century by Michael Bracewell to reach a total of 251.

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