Sanjay Manjrekar has strongly questioned the BCCI selectors over their decision to include Rohit Sharma in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan while leaving out Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan. The former India batter believes the Ajit Agarkar-led panel has failed to prioritise the future of Indian cricket despite having young players ready to take over.Speaking on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast, Manjrekar argued that Jaiswal had done enough to cement his place in India’s ODI setup, especially after scoring an unbeaten 116 in his last ODI appearance against South Africa in Vizag last December. He also pointed out Sai Sudharsan’s impressive start to ODI cricket, having registered three fifties in just four innings for India.“Sai Sudharsan has three fifties in four innings for India in ODI cricket. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s last innings was an unbeaten 116. And yet, these guys are not playing for India. Instead, the selectors have gone with a veteran whose fitness is a question mark and who is clearly out of form. Now explain that to me. What is the logic behind it? What is the vision?” Manjrekar said.The former batter felt that if the selectors were determined to continue with Rohit Sharma despite concerns over form and fitness, then they owed Jaiswal an explanation for missing out again.“If they were compelled to make a compromise and pick Rohit Sharma for whatever reasons, then the first thing they should do is pick up the phone, call Jaiswal and apologise. This is a young player who has done tremendous things at the toughest level in Test cricket. He is just 24 years old, in his prime, with a bright future ahead of him. The same goes for Sai Sudharsan. Guys like Gill, Sudharsan and Jaiswal are tailor-made to be India’s top three in ODI cricket.”Jaiswal has so far featured in only four ODIs for India, scoring 171 runs, despite consistent performances across formats. Manjrekar stressed that with Rohit Sharma nearing 39 and already having played in three ODI World Cups, India should now focus on building a side for the 2027 edition.According to Manjrekar, the selectors need to think beyond reputation and make decisions that benefit Indian cricket in the long run. While he admitted Virat Kohli still justifies his place because of his form and fitness, he believes the same argument cannot currently be made for Rohit.“Everybody knows what the right thing to do is. When you look at numbers and try to justify the selection, that’s not really the job. The job is to do what’s best for Indian cricket going forward. Is Rohit Sharma going to be your key player for the next 50-over World Cup in the years ahead? That’s the question that needs to be asked. Or would you rather give that opportunity right now to a Yashasvi Jaiswal or a Sai Sudharsan?” Manjrekar asked.“And the players we are talking about here have already played multiple World Cups. India, meanwhile, haven’t won a 50-over World Cup since 2011. Whichever way I look at it, you have got to move on. With Virat Kohli, I can maybe understand it because there is still form, fitness and everything else going in his favour. But a selector’s job is not just about thinking of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. They also have to think about the 50 or 100 other players who are fighting for an opportunity to play for India.”
