Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has questioned the BCCI selection committee’s decision to include Rohit Sharma in India's ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan at the expense of in-form youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Manjrekar pointed out that with Rohit at the twilight of his international career, the team needs to prioritize the future. He noted that neither recent form nor fitness is on the veteran's side in the 50-over format.
Manjrekar also argued that Jaiswal, who played an unbeaten knock of 116 in his last ODI appearance, and Sai Sudharsan are ready-made, prime options who should be playing ahead of Rohit.
“Sai Sudharsan has three fifties in four innings for India in ODI cricket. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s last innings was an unbeaten 116. And yet, these guys are not playing for India. Instead, the selectors have gone with a veteran whose fitness is a question mark and who is clearly out of form. Now explain that to me. What is the logic behind it? What is the vision?” Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.
Manjrekar bluntly stated that if the selectors were compelled to accommodate Rohit, they owed Jaiswal a phone call and an apology. He believes a young, in-form player who has proven himself in the toughest formats deserves direct communication.
“If they were compelled to make a compromise and pick Rohit Sharma for whatever reasons, then the first thing they should do is pick up the phone, call Jaiswal and apologise. This is a young player who has done tremendous things at the toughest level in Test cricket. He is just 24 years old, in his prime, with a bright future ahead of him. The same goes for Sai Sudharsan. Guys like Gill, Sudharsan and Jaiswal are tailor-made to be India’s top three in ODI cricket,” he added.
Sanjay Manjrekar urged the selectors to do what is "best for Indian cricket" rather than thinking about players' reputation.
While he questioned Rohit’s place in the team, Manjrekar noted that Virat Kohli still has his form and fitness working in his favour.
“Everybody knows what the right thing to do is. When you look at numbers and try to justify the selection, that’s not really the job. The job is to do what’s best for Indian cricket going forward. Is Rohit Sharma going to be your key player for the next 50-over World Cup in the years ahead? That’s the question that needs to be asked. Or would you rather give that opportunity right now to a Yashasvi Jaiswal or a Sai Sudharsan?” asked Manjrekar.
“And the players we are talking about here have already played multiple World Cups. India, meanwhile, haven’t won a 50-over World Cup since 2011. Whichever way I look at it, you have got to move on. With Virat Kohli, I can maybe understand it because there is still form, fitness and everything else going in his favour. But a selector’s job is not just about thinking of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. They also have to think about the 50 or 100 other players who are fighting for an opportunity to play for India,” he further remarked.
