CHENNAI: As Yashasvi Jaiswal found himself left out of the squad for the England ODIs a day after scoring his second hundred in last three outings, the focus has once again shifted towards Rohit Sharma and the way forward for the former captain with the Indian team.
Sharma, since removed as ODI skipper post the Champions Trophy triumph, has made his desire to play the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir have remained non-committal about his future whenever asked. It is in this backdrop, Jaiswal was seen as the potential successor to open with skipper Shubman Gill. Jaiswal, already the Test opener, however, has had to bide his time.
Last year, Kohli got injured and the left-hander made his ODI debut against England. Then Gill's injury allowed him to score his first ton against South Africa. The chance to open in the recent series against Afghanistan came because of Virat Kohli missing out. With both of them back in the squad — Kohli subject to fitness — Jaiswal has once again found himself out of the squad. Interestingly, Ishan Kishan has retained his place as the back-up keeper who could bat anywhere in the top five.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar felt that the decision was harsh on the youngster. "He has two hundreds in the last three ODIs," Manjrekar said in a media interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network. "Yes, a bit harsh on Yashasvi Jaiswal. I'll only say this on the issue that if the selectors have picked Rohit for this ODI squad, then I hope it's a long-term decision where they sort of expect Rohit to be part of the 2027 World Cup. That has to be the only reason for him to be included. Because we don't want to be assessing Rohit's performance in the next 18 or 19 ODIs before the World Cup starts. I just hope the selectors have long-term plans with Rohit. Otherwise, that place should have been given to somebody else," he added.
However, the lack of public commitment from either coach or chief selector on Rohit's future has added to speculations. Every time the 39-year-old has walked out to bat in the last year, one could sense the pressure he was under to perform. And to be fair to Rohit, he has 552 runs at 50.18 average and 96.5 strike rate. He is only second to Virat Kohli (616 runs at 88 AVG and 106.39 SR) but questions continue to linger with his strike rate dropping 20 points. And every time he missed out on a big score, it has led to speculations over his future.
Manjrekar felt that when it comes to big players, taking such hard calls has not been straightforward in Indian cricket. He believed that the selectors have to acknowledge that they are picking him because he will be there for the World Cup and if not, it is a bigger issue. "There is a certain culture that we have, and we have not been able to shake it off. When it comes to big name senior players, it's never as simple as taking a decision based on solid cricketing merit. And that clearly has come into play with Rohit, and this is something that plagues Indian cricket. It's just about the selectors believing whether Rohit can be your opening batter for the 2027 World Cup.
"And that is what was in their mind, they should have said, and that is why we are selecting him. If they're just picking him because they're not courageous enough to drop him right now, then it is something that has happened in our Indian cricket culture forever, with all the big names. You talk about clarity, that will only happen when the whole culture of India changes. It's just how we handle our big-name iconic players. We just can't remain clinical. It's always about what's good for this guy, and the individual is thought about a lot. When it comes to selection, you must always think what's best for Indian cricket, rather than what's best for Virat Kohli, or what's best for Rohit Sharma, what's best for Bumrah, or anyone," said the Mumbaikar.
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