Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has questioned the decision to leave out Yashasvi Jaiswal from India’s ODI squad for next month’s tour of England, despite the opener scoring two centuries in his last three innings in the format.
Jaiswal was not part of India’s plans for the recently concluded home ODI series against Afghanistan and only got an opportunity after Virat Kohli was ruled out with a hamstring injury. The left-hander grabbed it with both hands, smashing a century in the series finale in Chennai.
It was Jaiswal’s second ODI hundred in just six appearances. His maiden ton came in December last year when he scored an unbeaten 116 against South Africa in Vizag.
Yet, with Kohli returning for the England tour, Jaiswal was left out of the squad — a decision that did not sit well with Manjrekar.
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“Yashasvi has scored two hundreds in his last three ODIs. He made 116 not out against South Africa, then after a gap scored four and a hundred. Anyone opening in India’s strong ODI side will get opportunities, and Yashasvi has made the most of them. So yes, it is unfortunate and a bit harsh,” Manjrekar said, as quoted by the Times of India.
The former India batter then raised a larger question about Rohit Sharma’s place in India’s long-term ODI plans, particularly with the 2027 World Cup in mind.
“If the selectors have picked Rohit, I hope it’s because they genuinely see him as part of the 2027 World Cup plans. Otherwise, that place should have gone to somebody else,” he said.
Manjrekar also urged the selectors to prioritise the team’s future over the stature of individual players.
“We all know the culture around big-name players. Decisions are rarely as simple as judging on cricketing merit alone. That seems to be the case with Rohit too. If the selectors believe Rohit is part of the long-term plan, they should say so.
“But if he is being picked because they are not ready to move on from him, then it reflects a problem Indian cricket has had for years. Selection should never be about what’s best for Virat, Rohit or Bumrah. It should always be about what’s best for Indian cricket,” Manjrekar asserted.
India’s ODI series in England is scheduled to begin on July 14.
