Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Yashasvi Jaiswal may have to wait until Rohit Sharma retires to get a place in the ODI team. However, he also added that the team management could bring young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into contention, with current form likely to play a key role as well. Ashwin’s comments came after Jaiswal was left out of India’s squad for the five-match away ODI series against New Zealand, which starts on November 4 in Auckland.

Speaking during a discussion on his YouTube channel (Ash Ki Baat), Ashwin said: “All these instances of him being snubbed… I am calling it a snub because it is quite unfortunate. I feel that Yashasvi Jaiswal will only get a place if Rohit Sharma retires after the 50-over World Cup. But my concern is that they might even bring Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into the picture because it is all about current form. If Shubman Gill is not playing, Yashasvi Jaiswal should be the one getting a place in the last two ODIs. It is very unfortunate because all this could affect his confidence.”

“Actually, the selectors have been a little unfair to Yashasvi Jaiswal, there is no doubt about that. He was part of the squad as a backup opener for the T20 World Cup that India won in the West Indies, and he is still a backup opener. Now, there is no place for him in the squad, and we are talking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi instead. Yashasvi Jaiswal does not seem to be in the scheme of things,” he further added.

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However, Ravichandran Ashwin also expressed concern that Yashasvi Jaiswal’s confidence may have taken a hit, claiming that he no longer bats the way he did two or three years ago as well.

“His confidence is being affected. I don’t know if you have watched him bat over the last two or three years, but he is not batting the way he used to. He was a run machine. If his confidence is being affected, it is the responsibility of the team management and selectors to give him an opportunity wherever possible. He has not been given that opportunity; it has not come his way. That is very unfair,” he shared.

“I understand that he needs to prepare for Test cricket. But tell me, when did Yashasvi Jaiswal last play an ODI? When did he last play a T20I? When did he last play a Test match? The Test match he played in Sri Lanka was his last one. He has not played international cricket since then. The thing is, he was in prime form, scoring runs everywhere. Wherever you put the stumps, he was scoring runs. It is very unfortunate. The selectors and team management definitely need to look after Yashasvi Jaiswal. He is a precious talent,” R Ashwin concluded.