Aakash Chopra questions Yashasvi Jaiswal’s exclusion India team for England T20Is

On January 11, 2025, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the 15-man team for the forthcoming five-match Twenty20 International series against England. Apart from a few unexpected additions, the most of the team was as anticipated. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant, two Southpaws, were absent from the 15-man team.

Aakash Chopra, a former cricket player who is now a broadcaster, wondered why Jaiswal wasn’t selected for the T20I team. He did, however, anticipate that the young player will be included in the ODI team.

Since Yashasvi Jaiswal name is missing, I’m thinking out loud. I wonder whether Yashasvi’s moment in white-ball cricket has not arrived. His name has been mentioned as a potential member of the Champions Trophy squad. First, I believe his name will be mentioned for the three-match ODI series against England. If we compare the team to the 2023 ODI World Cup, he will replace SKY (Suryakumar Yadav),” Chopra said in a video posted on his YouTube page.

But because the team management wanted to proceed with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, he predicted Jaiswal to warm the bench.

You won’t play him there as well, though. Since Shubman Gill hasn’t done anything wrong, he will just open with Rohit (Sharma), which is also correct. Since there will only be three games and Shubman is a strong player, I believe he will also score runs. Yashasvi will therefore continue to sit on the bench,” Chopra reasoned.

Yashasvi Jaiswal might have had a shot, but Abhishek could have been retained on the team: Aakash Chopra

On the same subject, Chopra said that even if Abhishek Sharma had made the T20I shortlist, Jaiswal may still have been chosen. He said that Abhishek hasn’t solidified his place at the top of the order in Twenty20 Internationals.

“He is a batter, if you’re suggesting you want to give him a rest and a breather. Therefore, you may have kept Yashasvi here in this situation. Abhishek Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal would have been in a close race. Sanju Samson has solidified his position more than Abhishek Sharma has. They each had seven chances. Although Abhishek played one strong innings and Samson reached three hundreds, it wasn’t very impressive overall. He was unable to defend his actions in Zimbabwe. Therefore, he noted, “Yashasvi could have had a chance to play, but Abhishek could have been retained in the team.”

An ODI series consisting of three matches will follow the five Twenty20 Internationals between India and England. Jaiswal’s participation in the ODI team may serve as a reliable predictor of his prospects of winning the Champions Trophy in 2025.