Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has questioned the selection panel’s decision to leave out Yashasvi Jaiswal from the ODI squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the national squads on Friday, drawing immediate criticism from pundits and former players regarding the exclusion of the talented opening batsman.
Jaiswal, a regular fixture in India’s Test match setup, continues to face hurdles in establishing a permanent spot in the limited-overs formats. With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill cementing their roles as the primary openers in the 50-over game, opportunities for the young left-hander remain scarce whenever both senior players are available. Despite playing only six One Day Internationals, Jaiswal has demonstrated exceptional form by compiling runs at an impressive average of 71.25 and a striking rate of 97.60, which includes two centuries.
Squad Selection and Expert Reactions
- Squad Omission: The selection committee left Yashasvi Jaiswal out of the ODI team for the multi-format tour of New Zealand.
- Public Query: Irfan Pathan took to social media platform X to publicly question the reasoning behind the player’s exclusion from the one-day squad.
- Strong Record: Jaiswal holds a dominant average of 71.25 with two centuries across his six ODI appearances for India.
- <Opening Barrier: The presence of senior openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill limits regular chances for the young batter.
Future Outlook and Experiments
In a bid to enhance his white-ball prospects, Jaiswal recently started practicing wicketkeeping skills ahead of domestic fixtures, sparking intense debate among former cricketers. While some analysts believe expanding his skill set could help his utility, experts like Wasim Jaffer have expressed surprise, noting that learning keeping at 24 without prior background is extremely difficult when established glovemen like Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan are already competing for places. India’s upcoming tour features five T20Is, five ODIs, and two Tests, giving the team management plenty of matches to test their depth.
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