Legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin criticized the selection committee and team management for leaving Yashasvi Jaiswal out of India's ODI squad for the New Zealand tour, calling the decision "unfair and unfortunate".

Ashwin noted that with Shubman Gill stepping away from the final leg of the ODI series to focus on red-ball preparations, Jaiswal should have been slotted into the team to get vital international match practice.

He suggested that selectors should have directly spoken to Jaiswal about playing the final two games rather than leaving him completely out of the limited-overs picture.

Ashwin also warned that sidelining a talented young opener who has been out of international action for roughly four months could ruin his rhythm and confidence.

"If Shubman Gill is not playing the last two ODIs, then Yashasvi Jaiswal should definitely get that spot. It is very unfortunate because all of this can ruin his confidence. Now, with the way he was scoring runs..."

"Tell me this, I can understand Shubman Gill's situation because he is travelling. I can also understand KL Rahul's situation. But Yashasvi Jaiswal has no game time at all, right? I am not speaking purely from a perspective of just handing Yashasvi Jaiswal opportunities. I understand and agree with your point. However, his confidence is being completely ruined. I do not know, but if you look at his batting, he is not batting the way he used to bat two or three years ago," Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

"He was a run machine. If his confidence is getting ruined, it is the job of the team management and selectors to give him an opportunity wherever possible. But he has not been getting those opportunities at all. It has not gone to him. And it is very unfair. That is why I am saying, if there is an opportunity here for these two ODIs, honestly, if I were in the position of the team management or selectors, I would have gone and asked Yashasvi Jaiswal: 'This is the situation for these two ODIs, do you want to play? If you want to play, please go ahead and play.' There is absolutely nothing like international game time."

The decision to leave Jaiswal out of ODI squad has triggered intense debate, with critics questioning the BCCI's long-term planning for the 2027 World Cup in Africa. The southpaw, who averages over 70 with two centuries in six ODI appearances so far, is being viewed as backup opening option for the quadrennial event.

Ashwin highlighted that sacrificing a generational talent's white-ball development under the guise of his Test preparations leaves India's future squad building completely fractured.

"I agree that he needs to prepare for Test cricket. But tell me, when did Yashasvi Jaiswal last play an ODI? When did he last play a T20? When did he last play a Test match? The one he played in Sri Lanka was his last Test. After that, he has not played any international cricket at all. Yet, this is a player who was in prime form and scoring runs consistently. Wherever you set up stumps, he was scoring runs. It is very unfortunate. It is definitely the responsibility of the selectors and team management to look after Yashasvi Jaiswal. He is a precious talent," Ashwin concluded.

India’s ODI squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav

India’s ODI squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav

Note: *Subject to fitness clearance