The squads for the ODI and Test series against New Zealand were announced late Friday night. One of the notable omissions from the fifty-over squad was Yashasvi Jaiswalwho has been looked at as one of the backup openers for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The 24-year-old last played against Afghanistan in Chennai, where he scored a century.

This decision didn’t sit down well with Ravichandran Ashwinwho slammed the selectors. “If Shubman Gill is not playing the last two ODI games, Yashasvi Jaiswal should have replaced him. It is very unfortunate, and this can really affect his confidence.”

Ashwin also went on to add, “I can understand Shubman Gill and KL Rahul’s situation. I am not saying Jaiswal has to be handed chances, but his confidence can get damaged. If you observe closely, he is not batting the same way like he was two or three years ago. He was a run machine, but his confidence is taking a beating. It is the job of the team management and selectors to give him chances whenever possible, but sadly those chances haven’t gone to him, so it is unfair.”

“If there were chances to play those two ODIs, if it were me, Iwould have gone up to Yashasvi and asked, ‘Do you want to play the last two ODIs? If yes, please go ahead. There is nothing like international game time. Tell me one thing. When did he last play ODI cricket? When did he play his last Test?  That was against Sri Lanka. After that, he hasn’t played any international cricket. He is a player who scores runs at every given chance. It is very unfortunate. It is also the selectors’ and team management’s job to look after Jaiswal. He is a precious talent.”

Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer to lead the sides

The first three ODI games, which begin on 4th November, will see Shubman Gill lead the side. The 27-year-old will then depart for the Test series preparations starting on 19th November.

Shreyas Iyer has been named the captain for the last two ODI games, while Ishan Kishan will be his deputy. The 21-year-old Kumar Kushagra has also been handed his maiden ODI call-up after a string of good performances in domestic cricket.

Indian squad for New Zealand ODI series

India’s ODI squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav.

India’s ODI squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs:Shreyas Iyer (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.