Leg and Off: Should India pick Yashasvi Jaiswal in their squad for Champions Trophy 2025?

The fast and furious cricketing calendar rolls on with the 2025 Champions Trophy just over a month away, starting on February 19. While Team India and their fans are still scathing over the disappointment of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, discussions about the next big event have already started doing the rounds.

ODIs, notwithstanding their last series loss in Sri Lanka, have been arguably India's best format over the past decade. Yet, they are still searching for their first ICC title in 50-over cricket since the 2013 Champions Trophy triumph in England.

The Men in Blue suffered a crushing defeat to Pakistan in the final of the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017. With the tournament back after almost eight years, India are in with the enviable 'problem of plenty' when it comes to their 15-member squad for the event.

Among several challenging selection calls that will have to be made in the next couple of days, the Yashasvi Jaiswal one might be the hardest to crack for the selectors. Should he crack the final roster for the Champions Trophy or will the wait continue for a batter, who has set the world on fire in Tests and T20Is?

Before we find that out in the upcoming days, here is a look at a few factors that determine if Jaiswal should be picked in the Indian squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

An automatic selection in isolation

Jaiswal was India's best batter in their most recent matches against Australia [Credit: Getty]

If one doesn't consider the cap of 15 for the squad and ponders Yashasvi Jaiswal's selection for the 2025 Champions Trophy purely on current form, confidence, and fitness, a unanimous 'Yes' should be the way to go.

The 23-year-old has lit up the International arena in Tests and T20Is since debuting in the middle of 2023. Jaiswal has been inarguably India's best Test batter since, averaging almost 53 in 19 matches. He was their leading run-scorer in the recent Australia series with an average of over 43 despite being confronted with challenging batting pitches.

Jaiswal has also showcased his immense skillset in the shortest format, averaging 36.15 at a breathtaking strike rate of 164.31 in 23 T20Is. While he is yet to represent India in ODIs, his List-A numbers are remarkable with an average of almost 54 in 32 games.

The form, confidence, and match-winning abilities are all at a peak level for Jaiswal at the moment and in a tournament like the Champions Trophy, consisting of near-knockout games throughout, these qualities should be valued more than overall ODI numbers.

Jaiswal adds much-needed variety and versatility to India's top-order

Jaiswal could be the perfect foil to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Indian top order [Credit: Getty]

Team India will almost certainly be dominated by right-handers in their top order for the Champions Trophy. With the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya as the likely top six, opposition teams could strategize their bowling plans through the innings with more ease than if a right-left combination existed.

However, Jaiswal's presence in the lineup, or at least the 15-member squad, could be the ideal disruptor to the opponents' plan of maybe opening the bowling with a left-arm spinner or even playing with the pacers' lines and lengths. Jaiswal's all-out attack method from ball one could also help a few out-of-form Indian batters like Rohit and Kohli perhaps take their time and capitalize once set.

Hence, Jaiswal's inclusion will add tremendous variety and versatility to the Indian batting order.

Tick on the why but a big question mark on the how

Jaiswal might have to overcome the Samson storm to break into the Indian squad [Credit: Getty]

While Yashasvi Jaiswal ticks all the boxes on why he warrants a place in the Indian Champions Trophy squad, it is hard to figure out how he can break into the roster restricted to 15 players.

For logical purposes, it is safe to assume India will likely pick three out of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav as the spin options. Likewise, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh could be the pace-bowling options with Hardik Pandya as the seaming all-rounder.

Even if the names slightly vary in the final squad, eight spots should be taken up for those from No. 6 to 11 in the playing XI, including the back-ups. Out of the remaining seven, constituting the batters from 1 to 5 in the playing XI, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer walk into the side on their overall ODI records and stellar performances in the 2023 World Cup.

It leaves only two spots for backup batters, one of which is almost certainly for a reserve wicket-keeper between Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, mostly the former.

Hence, Jaiswal will be in a battle for the final spot in the 15-player squad with Samson - one he might find near-impossible to win. While Jaiswal hasn't played in an ODI, Samson's 50-over numbers are as stellar as they come, with an average of over 56 and a strike rate of almost 100 in 16 matches.

Jaiswal's claim as the backup opener also falls short in the wake of Samson scoring centuries for fun recently as the opening batter in T20Is. His wicket-keeping skills add another dimension that may make it doubly harder for Jaiswal to leapfrog.

Furthermore, the likes of Riyan Parag, Sai Sudharsan, and Tilak Varma have already played ODIs for India, with Sudharsan also impressing as an opener in South Africa a year back.

Team India slimming down their pace-bowling option from four to three by relying on Hardik Pandya as the fourth seamer in the squad might be one way to include Jaiswal in the side. Yet, the injury concerns to the possibly returning Shami and the currently injured Bumrah could force India to take the safer route of the extra pace-bowling option.

Conclusion

Yashasvi Jaiswal undoubtedly adds much to the Indian squad, especially in current form with his confidence at an all-time high. His left-handedness only enhances his case to be included in the 2025 Champions Trophy squad.

However, like so many before, he might suffer from a lack of viable open spots in a well-settled Indian ODI lineup, with the wait for a breakthrough extending painfully, yet justifiably, longer.

Final Verdict: Yashasvi Jaiswal deserves a spot in the Indian Champions Trophy squad but could just miss the cut due to the seemingly never-ending 'problem of plenty' in India's ODI setup.