Chopra claimed that India's batting lineup is simply too stacked to accommodate them.
Former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra reckons that neither Yashasvi Jaiswal nor Ruturaj Gaikwad will find a place in India's squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup, slated to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra claimed that India's batting lineup is simply too stacked to accommodate them. He expects the management to lock in Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma as the frontline openers, with Virat Kohli anchoring the number three spot.
Even though Jaiswal has hit two centuries in his six ODIs so far, Chopra pointed out that the southpaw is strictly a top-order player and a backup-only spot is hard to justify in a tight 15-member squad.
While Gaikwad offers more flexibility by opening or sliding into the middle order (where he has a fifty and a century), Chopra believes India will select dedicated middle-order specialists and wicketkeepers instead.
"He (Gaikwad) does two jobs. He can open and bat in the middle order as well. Although he shouldn't have batted there, he was made to do that, and he scored a fifty and a hundred there. Yashasvi, on the contrary, is just a backup for an opener. However, I feel they won't take either of them," Chopra said.
Aakash Chopra foresees the selectors prioritizing four all-rounders—Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel—alongside two wicketkeeper-batters like KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, or Rishabh Pant. This all-rounder heavy template leaves no room for either Jaiswal or Gaikwad.
"I feel they will take both Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya, and both Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. So a spot won't remain. Two keepers need to be taken. So KL Rahul plus Ishan Kishan or maybe Rishabh Pant, I don't know. Neither Ruturaj Gaikwad nor Yashasvi Jaiswal has chances of going," he added.
Chopra believes Gaikwad will pip Jaiswal on the basis of versatility if the team management decides to take a specialist backup batter.
"However, if they think they need to take a backup batter, then there is a fight between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal. In that, you can go toward Rutu slightly if you wish because he provides a middle-order option that Yashasvi doesn't," he remarked.
Chopra noted that if they pick Yashasvi Jaiswal as a pure opener, Nitish Kumar Reddy would be the one dropped to free up spot.
"However, if you are picking Yashasvi and Rishabh Pant/Ishan Kishan, you will go toward specialists because it's South Africa, and then you will drop Nitish Kumar Reddy," he concluded.