'Very unfair' - Ravichandran Ashwin questions Yashasvi Jaiswal's omission from New Zealand ODIs

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the All India Senior Men's Selection Committee's decision to leave Yashasvi Jaiswal out of the ODI squad for India's tour of New Zealand.

The selectors have named two separate squads for the five-match ODI series, scheduled to be played from November 4 to 15. While the squad for the first three ODIs features most of India's first-choice players, several members of the regular setup, including ODI captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, will leave after the third match to begin preparations for the two-match Test series.

Ashwin believes Jaiswal should have been included in the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs, especially in the absence of several regulars. He described the decision as extremely "unfair."

"If Shubman Gill is not playing the last two ODIs, then Yashasvi Jaiswal should definitely get that spot. It is very unfortunate because all of this can ruin his confidence. Now, with the way he was scoring runs..." Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"I can understand Shubman Gill's situation because he is travelling. I can also understand KL Rahul's situation. But Yashasvi Jaiswal has had no game time at all, right? I am not talking from the perspective of simply handing Jaiswal opportunities.

"He was a run machine. If his confidence is taking a hit, it is the responsibility of the team management and selectors to provide him with an opportunity wherever possible. But he has not been getting those opportunities. They have simply not come his way. And it is very unfair," Ashwin added.

Jaiswal's most recent ODI appearance came against Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on June 20. He scored an unbeaten 110 off 86 balls to help India chase down 219 with 128 balls to spare and complete a 3-0 series sweep.

"That is why I am saying, if there is an opportunity in these two ODIs, honestly, if I were part of the team management or selection committee, I would have gone to Yashasvi Jaiswal and said: 'This is the situation for these two ODIs. Do you want to play? If you do, please go ahead and play.' There is nothing quite like international game time," Ashwin said.

"I agree that he needs to prepare for Test cricket. But tell me, when did Yashasvi Jaiswal last play an ODI? When did he last play a T20I? When did he last play a Test match? The match he played in Sri Lanka was his most recent Test," Ashwin added.