Vengsarkar Questions ‘Match-Winner’ Yashasvi Jaiswal’s T20 World Cup Snub

Dilip Vengsarkar criticised the selectors for overlooking in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal for India’s T20 World Cup squad.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s consistent performance across all formats since his international debut in 2023 has not translated into a spot in India’s T20 World Cup squad.

Despite being one of only six Indians with a century in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, the selectors opted for Ishan Kishan as Shubman Gill’s replacement, overlooking the aggressive left-handed opener. This decision has sparked debate within the cricketing community.

The snub is particularly notable given Jaiswal’s recent T20I form, where his high strike rate aligns with the team’s attacking philosophy. His omission prompted former India captain and ex-chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar to question the rationale behind leaving out such a proven match-winner.

Unfortunate Fate Of Yashasvi Jaiswal

“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,” Vengsarkar stated.

He further emphasized Jaiswal’s value, adding, “Nobody should leave a match winner out of the team.” While supporting the committee’s emphasis on current form in Gill’s case, Vengsarkar was clear on his preferred alternative.

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“They are all excellent players, but I am with the selection committee when they judge players on the basis of current form and fitness. The current form does play an important role in the 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 the kind of starts required these days,” said the former India skipper.

Jaiswal last played T20Is in July 2024, following which he focused on red-ball cricket. His final five T20I innings saw him opening with scores of 93, 12, 40, 30, and 10 at a strike rate close to 200.