Is Ind-Nz final Jadeja's final ODI? Kohli’s gesture ignites talks of retirement

Charismatic allrounder Ravindra Jadeja was on Sunday at his economical best conceding just 30 runs in his full quota of ten overs while dismissing the dangerous Tom Latham in a highstakes Champions Trophy 2025 final against New ZealandKohlirsquos hug for Jadeja fuels retirement speculationWhile Jadejarsquos performance was praiseworthy what truly captured the limelight was an emotional moment shared between him and Virat Kohli After completing his spell Jadeja received a heartfelt embrace from Kohli igniting speculations about the allrounderrsquos future in ODIsAs soon as Jadeja bowled his final delivery and retrieved his floppy hat from the onfield umpire Kohli approached him wrapped him in a tight hug and congratulated him on his exceptional spell Given Kohlirsquos history of similar gestures before major retirement announcements the moment did not go unnoticedAfter Smith now Kohli hugged Jadeja after Jaddu completed his spell pictwittercom95x9C3hMurmdash TukTuk Academy TukTuk_Academy March 9 2025Virat Kohli hugged Ravindra Jadeja after Jadeja bowled his spell plz jaddu no SirJadeja Jadeja INDvsNZ ChampionsTrophy ViratKohli pictwittercomqvFNBBaHPGmdash DrDeepak Jain Deepakjain1827 March 9 2025Notably Kohli had previously hugged veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin moments before the latter announced his retirement Similarly he was seen embracing Australian batting stalwart Steve Smith after Australiarsquos exit from the tournament a gesture that preceded Smithrsquos decision to retire from ODIsAt 36 years old Jadeja remains one of the prime candidates to retire from the format with his chances of making it to the 2027 ODI World Cup appearing increasingly slim While no official statement has been made Kohlirsquos emotional sendoff gesture has further fueled retirement rumors surrounding the veteran allrounderBracewellrsquos counterattack propels New Zealand past 250Despite losing wickets at regular intervals New Zealand managed to post a competitive total of 251 runs thanks to a late counterattack from Michael Bracewell The explosive allrounder played a crucial innings smashing a blistering halfcentury that provided his team with a muchneeded boostDaryl Mitchell was another key contributor anchoring the innings with a wellcompiled 63 runs However Indiarsquos bowling unit ensured that New Zealand never got out of control with Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy leading the charge scalping two wickets apieceWith a chase of 252 on the horizon India finds itself in a strong position but with the pressure of a final anything can happen As the cricketing world watches on all eyes remain on both the scoreboard and the future of one of Indiarsquos finest allrounders