Yashasvi Jaiswal's T20 World Cup 2026 Snub Triggers Social Media Debate
Yashasvi Jaiswal remains one of India's most prolific batters in T20 cricket. Yet, there was no place for him in the team's T20 World Cup 2026 squad.
India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad incurred a major shake-up as Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma were left out of the roster to make space for Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan. Though the changes have been hailed, as far as specific slots in the team are concerned, there are some who have expressed disappointment over the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal from the team. Former India cricketer Sadagopan Ramesh feels Jaiswal could've been given the spot vacated by Gill in the squad. Even Wasim Jaffer questioned why Jaiswal couldn't replace Gill, with Jitesh remaining a part of the team, as he was.Â
Jaiswal has become a mainstay in India's Test team and is also in the plans in both white-ball formats. But the current dynamics within the team make it difficult for him to make the cut.
"Axar Patel has returned as vice-captain. Ajit Agarkar had revealed that Axar was the vice-captain before Gill had taken up that role. I had also mentioned that Gill doesn't fit in the T20 side, and it should be Yashasvi Jaiswal instead. When I saw Gill was dropped, I was expecting Jaiswal to be in. But there's a twist - Jitesh Sharma was dropped. Since India needed another keeper, they brought in Ishan Kishan, who has taken domestic cricket by storm. Slot-wis,e it's a correct decision," Ramesh said in a video on Instagram.
Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI selection committee chief, said that the decision to drop Jitesh Sharma from the team was taken as the management wanted both wicket-keepers to be opening batters. The explanation, however, baffled many.
Why not Jaiswal & Jitesh? #T20WorldCup
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) December 21, 2025
India tried with the opening pairing of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill the last few series but the latter failed to make his opportunities count.
"Since Jitesh Sharma found himself out of the side, it opened the door for Rinku Singh. Selectors have taken the correct decision by opting for Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the opening pair because they have been the successful pair for India in T20I cricket. Since they will go with the mindset of opening the innings leading up to the T20 World Cup, I expect them to thrive."
India's T20 World Cup 2026 Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
India Cricket Team