Virender Sehwag, a former Indian cricket player, has weighed in on the debate surrounding the future of young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal. Sehwag believes that Jaiswal has the potential to excel in all three formats of the game, despite his limited opportunities in white-ball cricket so far.
Jaiswal, a southpaw who has been a regular in the Test team, opening the batting with KL Rahul, has struggled to find a consistent place in the Indian white-ball teams. While he has played 23 T20Is and four ODIs, his opportunities have been limited due to the presence of established openers like Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma in the one-dayers, and Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson in the shortest format.
Sehwag acknowledges the challenge, stating, 'But there is no space right now. Shubman Gill is the captain (in ODIs). Rohit Sharma is playing. As soon as Rohit Sharma retires, you will see Jaiswal playing white-ball and one-day cricket as well.' He also mentions that Ruturaj Gaikwad could be a potential competitor for Jaiswal's position.
The former India opener highlights that Jaiswal's inclusion in the ODI team is often due to the unavailability of other players, rather than a lack of performance. He says, 'See, he has come into the ODI team only because someone like Gill or Sharma wasn't available. It was not like he got the chance and then he didn't perform. He performed very well when he got the chance.'
Sehwag also brings up Ishan Kishan, who is in contention for a place in the ODI team alongside Jaiswal. Kishan, who has made a double hundred in ODIs at the fastest rate, is another player in the reckoning. Sehwag expresses his preference for seeing Jaiswal in all three formats, stating, 'I would definitely like to see Jaiswal in one-day cricket and T20Is - I mean in all three formats. He is a player who can play all three formats.'
Both Jaiswal and Kishan have been named in India's squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Sehwag's comments suggest that he believes Jaiswal has the talent to succeed in all formats, and his future opportunities may depend on the retirement of established players and the team's strategic decisions.
