People have called Yashasvi Jaiswal the next big thing in all formats for India. Still, even after scoring a century in his last game, he didn’t make it into the latest ODI squad for the series against Afghanistan. Sanjay Manjrekar, the former cricketer and now a well-known commentator, just couldn’t wrap his head around why the selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, chose 39-year-old Rohit Sharma instead of the 24-year-old Jaiswal. He openly questioned how this lines up with India’s plans for the 2027 World Cup. Manjrekar went so far as to say the selectors owe Jaiswal an apology for this call.
Manjrekar pointed out the elephant in the room—a player with age, fitness concerns, and poor form keeps his spot, while a young talent, pretty much at the start of his peak, stays out.
He vented on Sportstar’s ‘Inside Edge’ podcast: “Jaiswal scores an unbeaten 116 and still doesn’t play. Instead, the selectors stick with a veteran who’s clearly out of form and has fitness issues. Someone has to explain this logic. Where’s the vision?”
According to Manjrekar, if the selectors had no choice but to include Rohit Sharma, they should at least be upfront with Jaiswal and apologize.
“Jaiswal is a young guy who’s already producing sensational performances in the toughest format, Test cricket. He’s only 24, with a long future ahead of him,” he said.
Manjrekar didn’t stop there. “You keep Rohit Sharma. With Virat Kohli, there’s still a strong case. But is this really Agarkar’s vision for India? Do the selectors seriously see Rohit as their main 50-over player going forward? Or is it time to let someone like Jaiswal or Sai Sudharsan get those chances?”
For now, India’s ODI opening pair remains Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.
Comments are closed.