Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has called on the team management to give Yashasvi Jaiswal consistent match time in ODIs ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, cautioning that insufficient preparation could leave the young opener exposed to enormous pressure if pressed into action during the tournament. Yuvraj made the remarks on 20 July amid ongoing debate over India's squad composition following their ODI series against England.

Yuvraj's Core Concern

The former left-hander was unequivocal: his worry is not the resting of senior players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but the underuse of Jaiswal despite the youngster's recent form. 'More than Virat and Rohit, my concern is that Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has scored two hundreds in the last four games, is not starting. If the World Cup comes and he hasn't had enough game time, he's suddenly going to feel the pressure. Somewhere down the line, he needs more game time before the World Cup if he is in the plans,' Yuvraj said in an interview with JioStar.

Drawing from Personal Experience

Yuvraj drew on his own axing from the Indian squad ahead of the 2019 World Cup cycle to contextualise his argument. He acknowledged that tough selection decisions are an unavoidable part of international cricket, but insisted that planning must account for reserve players being match-ready. 'From a player's point of view, it hurts when you're not there. From another perspective, you can understand that maybe they wanted younger players. At that time, there were Dhoni and I, both 36 or 37, going into the World Cup, and the team management had to make a decision,' he said.

The Injury Risk Factor

Yuvraj also raised the spectre of injury-forced replacements as a reason to keep fringe players sharp. He pointed to the 2019 World Cup as a cautionary example, where injuries thrust inexperienced players into a high-stakes environment without adequate preparation. 'If someone gets injured, then what do you do? We've seen that happen before. In the 2019 World Cup, an injury meant two young players came in without enough experience. You don't want to make the same mistakes of the past,' he stated.

Jaiswal's Current Standing

Jaiswal has delivered whenever handed opportunities in recent ODIs, registering two centuries in four matches, yet he has not nailed down a regular starting berth as India continue to experiment with combinations. The left-handed opener has been a fixture in Test cricket, but his ODI role remains fluid. With the World Cup selection window narrowing, the clock is ticking for the team management to either commit to Jaiswal or plan around his absence.

What Happens Next

India's ODI schedule in the coming months will be closely scrutinised for whether Jaiswal gets the extended run Yuvraj is advocating. Selectors face the dual challenge of maintaining experienced continuity while ensuring that younger options are World Cup-ready — a balance that, as Yuvraj's remarks underline, has not always been struck well in the past.