Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar was surprised by the exclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal from India’s ODI squad for next month’s tour of England, arguing that the young opener had done little wrong after making a strong start to his one-day international career.
Jaiswal was not originally part of India’s plans for the recently concluded ODI series against Afghanistan and only entered the picture after Virat Kohli was sidelined with a hamstring injury. The left-hander seized the opportunity, capping the series with a century in Chennai and further strengthening his credentials in the format.
That hundred was Yashasvi Jaiswal‘s second ODI century in only six appearances. He had earlier announced himself with an unbeaten 116 against South Africa in Visakhapatnam in December last year. Despite those performances, the return of Kohli for the England series meant Jaiswal missed out on selection, a move that Manjrekar felt was difficult to justify.
“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,” Sanjay Manjrekar was quoted as saying.
The former India batter also turned the spotlight on Rohit Sharma and questioned how the selectors view his role in the team’s long-term plans, particularly with the 2027 ODI World Cup on the horizon.
“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 further argued that selection decisions should be driven by the future interests of Indian cricket rather than the stature of individual stars.
“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.
