New Delhi: last time Yeshsavi Jaiswal In one ODI for India, he scored a match-winning 116 not out against South Africa. It was only his fourth match in the format and he was playing for captaincy. Shabman Gul was ineligible. When Gayle returned, Jaiswal returned to the bench and is now out of the squad for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan starting on June 13.There was hardly any uproar over Jaiswal’s exclusion from the ODI squad and the chief selector Ajit Agarkar When asked about Vaibhu Suryavanshi mentioned it.“Vibhu Suryavanshi has done well, but let’s not forget Yashaswi Jaiswal. As impressive as he is, Jaiswal has also done well,” Agarkar said.Agarkar had earlier mentioned Jaiswal during his media interaction. But then the question arises as to why he was not selected for India A which will face Sri Lanka A under the captaincy of Tilak Verma. If Jaiswal was unfortunately missing out on the senior squad, he should have at least been a part of the India A set-up to be ready for the white ball when the opportunity arose.“He should have been picked for the India A squad. It’s unfortunate. With Rohit (Sharma) and Shubman (Gul) there, you think he might not be getting game time, but he should have gone to Sri Lanka instead of sitting at home,” former India chief selector MSK Prasad told TimesofIndia.com.Prasad maintained that Jaiswal is a rare all-format cricketer and believes he will eventually get his due in ODIs.“He is too good a player to miss out in any format. He shouldn’t take it as a disappointment. These things happen in cricket. When I was chairman of selectors, we couldn’t find a place for Shreyas Iyer despite his extraordinary performance in domestic cricket. Jaiswal is already a tough guy, and this will make it tougher,” Prasad said.Jaiswal’s last ODI appearance was almost five months ago. After the Afghanistan series, India will play a three-match ODI series against England in July, and with Ishan Kishan returning as the second wicket-keeper and back-up opener, no one knows when Jaiswal’s wait in white-ball cricket for India will end.Notably, his 23 in a T20I last came almost 22 months ago. After losing to Adelaide in the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup, a major change in India’s T20 batting was their aggressive approach in the powerplay, and Jaiswal was central to that change. His T20I strike rate is 164.31.He changed India’s batting philosophy in T20Is, batting in top gear from the very first over rather than waiting for the last five overs to accelerate, which had long been India’s template.with the Rohit Sharma Focusing on ODI and Test cricket ahead of the 2023 World Cup, Jaiswal progressed to T20Is. But to keep Rohit and Virat at the top of the order for the 2024 T20 World Cup, Jaiswal was ruled out of the entire tournament. Later, during Gautam Gambhir’s tenure, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson overtook him.It’s not that Jaiswal’s strike rate, intent or IPL performances have diminished compared to Abhishek or Samson, but he has gradually gone wild in T20Is. His last T20I appearance for India was against Sri Lanka on 30 July 2024.TimesofIndia.com understands that the Indian team management wants to add left-handers to the mix. This approach worked effectively in the T20Is and during India’s Champions Trophy triumph last year, when Axar Patel was used as a floater at No.5.
Should Yashvi Jaiswal have been included in the India A team for the series against Sri Lanka A?
The sample size of Jaiswal’s ODI career may still be small compared to the strong ones, but he certainly possesses the impact, the X-factor, and the range needed for India’s future. He has already established himself as a Test opener with runs across conditions and continents.At 24, Jaiswal should look at India’s present rather than just the future. In the coming months, India will have to find a place for him in the ODI setup, and give him a long rope ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, even if it comes at the cost of the great Rohit Sharma, who probably won’t mind a word of it.”A boy walking in a garden” Moving forward with the stick up.
