Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra said Yashasvi Jaiswal is a three-format player and his absence from India’s white-ball team seems like an injustice. Jaiswal was not included in India’s Asia Cup squad but he is part of the reserves players’ list.
The left-hander scored 411 runs in five Test matches against England at an average of 41.10, including an all-important century in the final Test at the Kennington Oval, London. Furthermore, the southpaw scored 559 runs in 14 matches of IPL 2025 at an average of 43 and a strike rate of 159.71 for the Rajasthan Royals.
“It’s a very interesting question because Yashasvi is a good player. When you see Yashasvi, it seems like he is a three-format player. However, currently, he is playing only one format, and it seems like a travesty. It seems almost an injustice, that he should play all three formats,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra backed Jaiswal to be part of India’s three-match ODI series against Australia after the Test series against the West Indies.
“The truth for now is that he will play the two Tests against the West Indies, and I am pretty sure he will score runs as well because he is that kind of a player. I think he will now get a chance to travel with the ODI team. When the three-match series against Australia starts, he will be there,” he observed.
The renowned commentator is optimistic that Jaiswal will be part of India’s T20 World Cup squad in 2026.
“I feel he will have to wait in T20s now also. His name will not come in the 15 that soon because when we win the Asia Cup, there won’t be much scope for change. However, before the World Cup happens, because there are 15 T20Is before that, I am very sure he will find a way into the 15,” he said in the same video.
Furthermore, Chopra said Shreyas Iyer will also be part of the Indian team for the T20I showpiece. Iyer had scored 604 runs in 17 matches for PBKS in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 175.07.
He (Jaiswal) is too good a player to miss out. I love him to bits. He is a phenomenal player, and I hope he makes it. I feel Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal are two players who will eventually be part of our World Cup squad. This voice is coming from my heart. I don’t have any inside info,” Chopra observed.
Jaiswal and Iyer have performed consistently in T20s and deserve their chances in the Indian team.
