Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has shown sympathy for Yashasvi Jaiswal, the young India opener, who was dropped from the Indian squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series in England.

Jaiswal had replaced Virat Kohli in the India squad for the Afghanistan ODIs at home after Kohli was ruled out of the series due to a hamstring injury that he had suffered during the final of the IPL 2026 tournament.

Jaiswal had a somber first two ODIs but scored a brilliant 110* in the third ODI in Chennai. However, his exclusion from the India squad for the England ODIs, as Virat Kohli returned, led to several former cricketers and experts clamoring for his inclusion as a backup.

Now, AB de Villiers admitted that Jaiswal was unfortunate to lose his position after hitting a century but that Kohli's comeback from injury made the selection decision unavoidable considering the senior batter's stature and recent performance.

"Virat Kohli back. It was a little bit of a tough one on Jaiswal, who was back in Virat's place, scoring the hundred, and now he's got to make way. No complaints there, but it is just a little bit harsh on players sometimes. When your king comes back, when the main players come back, there is a process they are looking at. So it truly makes sense for Virat to step in there and make sure he maintains the kind of form he showed in the IPL," De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

Sanju Samson had shown good signs with the bat over the previous few months and was also given some contemplation by De Villiers, who said it was disappointing for him to lose out.

"Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul are the two top wicket-keepers. The big thing is there is no Pant, no Samson. Samson must have been close, closer than Pant, as he had a really good IPL and also, prior to that, showed signs of form. Not a lot of surprises there, but just for Samson, I feel he was close," De Villiers added.

The India v England ODI series will begin on July 14.