Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Selectors: Why India Keeps Ignoring a Match-Winning Star?

Yashasvi Jaiswal keeps delivering, yet India keeps sidelining him. Despite centuries and match-winning form, he struggles to find his place in white-ball cricket.

For Yashasvi Jaiswal, these are challenging times. The young Bhadohi-born cricketer, who has shown glimpses of being an all-format regular for India, finds himself caught in the middle of a constant flux that is Indian cricket. Labeled a “one format specialist,” Jaiswal is struggling to navigate the uncertainties of national selection.

Despite his undeniable talent and consistent performances, the 23-year-old opener has often found the rub of the green playing hide and seek with him at crucial moments.

The White-Ball Conundrum

In 2024, Jaiswal had to watch as the Indian team prioritized experience over youth for major T20 assignments. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, seasoned veterans, were preferred on unfamiliar American and Caribbean tracks. Seven months later, the 50-over format brought its own heartbreak.

Jaiswal was initially named in the 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy but was sidelined again when head coach Gautam Gambhir insisted on a fourth spinner, rendering him disposable yet again.

In another twist, when Shubman Gill — widely considered India’s next all-format captain — was excluded from T20 duties, the selectors brought in Ishan Kishan instead. Kishan’s recent 49-ball century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final made headlines, but few remembered that Jaiswal himself had scored a 50-ball ton against the same opponents only days prior.

Consistency Meets Disappointment

Even recent achievements have failed to secure Jaiswal a place. Despite scoring a century against South Africa in India’s previous game, he is likely to make way for regular ODI skipper Shubman Gill on January 11. As he approaches his 24th birthday, the young star faces a crucial juncture in his career.

“It is unfortunate that Yashasvi is being left out time and again for no fault of his. He has been in tremendous form across all formats of the game and I don't know what else he has to do to get into the team,” Dilip Vengsarkar, former India captain and one of the finest chairmen of selectors in the past three decades, was quoted as saying in a PTI report.

Form, Fitness, and the Selection Puzzle

Jaiswal last played T20 internationals in Sri Lanka in July 2024. Since then, India prioritized Test cricket, asking him to focus on the red-ball format. His last five T20I scores — 93, 12, 40, 30, and 10 — came while opening, with a strike rate close to 200, perfectly in line with India’s philosophy of aggressive batting.

“Nobody should leave a match winner out of the team,” Vengsarkar said. 

He agreed with the selection committee’s decision to exclude Gill, citing the importance of current form, but was clear about who he would have chosen instead.

“They are all excellent players but I am with selection committee when they judge players on basis of current form and fitness. Current form does play an important role in context of selection. And if you ask whom I would have picked instead of Gill, my choice would have been Jaiswal. He has proven time and again what a class performer he is and has always given the team kind of starts required these days,” he added.

Confidence: The Hidden Currency

T20 cricket doesn’t favour players who stay away. Consistent rhythm and visibility matter. While others kept themselves in selectors’ view by playing across series, Jaiswal drifted out of focus — not from failing, but because the system steered attention elsewhere.

“You are bound to lose confidence if you are made to feel that you are not required in one format. I mean it will affect his confidence and this game is all about confidence. And confidence comes when you have performances backed by runs,” he said.

Former India opener and coach WV Raman emphasized patience. 

“Certain conversations can't be revealed in public but now World T20 squad has been selected and one can't do anything. Jaiswal will have to bide his time but I am confident that the kind of talent he is, he will play many more World Cups,” Raman was quoted as saying in the PTI report.

A Bright Future Despite Setbacks

Vengsarkar concluded with a telling remark, highlighting both Jaiswal’s plight and his potential. 

“I wouldn't have told him anything because I wouldn't have dropped him in the first place.”

For a young cricketer of immense talent, these words resonate with hope. Despite repeated snubs, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s journey is far from over. With self-belief intact and form on his side, the Indian cricketing landscape still has many chapters for him to write.