"I am saying that it won't happen" - R Ashwin says in-form batter won't make India's playing 11 for 2025 Champions Trophy
Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin feels Yashasvi Jaiswal won’t make it to India’s playing XI for the upcoming ICC 2025 Champions Trophy. The legendary spinner further noted that every team should use a player’s form to their advantage.
The 38-year-old further pointed out Jaiswal has been in form in Tests over the last 18 months. Thus, Ashwin reckons it wouldn’t be a bad decision from the team management to include him in the playing XI.
Jaiswal has been exceptional with the bat over the last few years. The left-hander emerged as the leading run-scorer for India at the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 391 runs with a best score of 161.
Ashwin said on his YouTube channel (from 10:15 onwards):
“First, I will look at one thing. Individuals are made to make the team. The team is not made for individuals. You should not take a team for an individual. At the same time, it’s a team’s responsibility to use a player’s form correctly. If a player is in good form, it’s the team’s responsibility to make sure that he is playing at a good level.”
“Yashasvi Jaiswal is probably the in-form player in the last 18 months. He sat out in the T20 World Cup. We didn’t talk about it in the T20 World Cup. I feel that Jaiswal has a compelling case for two reasons. One, his form and the way he is going. I am saying that it won’t happen. If it happens, I will be very surprised but it’s not a bad call. It’s a very good call talking about the welfare of the team,” he added.
Ashwin further pointed out that India should use left-right combinations wisely since there is no fourth seamer. He continued (from 4:32 onwards):
“There is no fourth seamer. Only three seamers. If you play like that, Hardik becomes your 3rd seamer. So, there is no fourth seamer. Dew is also coming. There is no left-hand batter. Jaiswal is in good form. You are not going to use him. I am getting these questions raised.”
“He can fill the left-hander [role] with the keeper’s backup option” – Ravichandran Ashwin explains why Rishabh Pant was picked in India squad for ICC 2025 Champions Trophy
Ravichandran Ashwin further explained that Rishabh Pant was picked over Sanju Samson owing to his left-handed batting option, which will come in handy to aid in the rotation of the strike. He further added that Samson skipped the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Kerala, which played against him for selection.
Ashwin said in the above video (from 21:00 onwards):
“They need a left-handed option as a keeper. Rishabh has done it. He can fill the left-hander [role] with the keeper’s backup option. Secondly, Samson didn’t play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with Kerala.”
In ODIs
Rishabh Pant: 871 runs in 27 innings @33.50
Sanju Samson: 810 runs in 33 innings @27.93
Samson smashed a century in his last ODI outing for the Men in Blue, which came against South Africa in December 2023. Meanwhile, Pant has only played an ODI in Sri Lanka since his return to international cricket after an 18-month-long break due to a car accident. The southpaw scored six runs against the island nation last year.