Left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was left out of India's 15-man squad for the upcoming series in England despite him scoring a match-winning 110* against Afghanistan in his last ODI appearance.
Jaiswal played the Afghanistan series as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who had a hamstring injury. Once Kohli was fit again, he returned to the squad.
Established openers like Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma retained their spots in the squad while Jaiswal faced the axe again, prompting concerns about the southpaw’s future ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
During an online interaction on Tuesday (June 23), former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar sympathized with Jaiswal, calling his omission “a bit harsh”.
Manjrekar stressed that selectors must have a long-term plan involving Rohit if they are continuing with the veteran campaigner.
“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.
“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 added.
Manjrekar further argued that selection panels often struggle to make objective decisions solely on cricketing merit due to the massive public stature of senior stars like Rohit Sharma.
“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 drop 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 remarked.
He also threw his weight behind the 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Referring to the teenager’s recent physical altercation during India A’s Tri-series in Sri Lanka, Manjrekar said: “He has learnt a lesson. He seems a very aware and mature guy and will handle such situations much better in the future."
