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Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali criticized the BCCI’s selection committee for favoring Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer over Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. His remarks followed India’s disappointing series loss to Sri Lanka.
During the series, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team struggled with the bat, especially against Sri Lankan spinners. The Indian side failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities and frequently lost wickets in unfamiliar ways.
Shubman Gill, India’s top-ranked ODI batter, did not meet expectations. He failed to surpass the 50-run mark throughout the series and was dismissed despite promising starts. Gill scored 16 runs in the first ODI, 35 in the second, and only 6 in the third, totaling 57 runs across the series.
Similarly, Shreyas Iyer, known for his prowess in ODIs, had a lackluster performance. He contributed 23 runs in the first match, 7 in the second, and 8 in the third, ending the series with just 38 runs.
In light of these underwhelming performances, Basit Ali argued that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav would have been better choices. He expressed concern that India is not adequately prepared for the Champions Trophy 2025, highlighting the limited number of games remaining to fine-tune the squad. Ali shared his views in a recent video on his YouTube channel.
“This series showed, I already knew, but people got to know that Jaiswal is a much better player than Shubman Gill. The selection committee has made a big blunder by not taking Yashasvi Jaiswal. They also didn’t take Suryakumar Yadav. What are you doing? The Champions Trophy is coming after 5-6 months. You have just 3 matches left, or you have to play domestic cricket.”
Yashasvi Jaiswal has no match with Shubman Gill – Basit Ali
Basit Ali rated Yashasvi Jaiswal as significantly better than Shubman Gill. He also argued that, despite Shreyas Iyer’s impressive average of 48, Suryakumar Yadav would have been a stronger option. Ali suggested that Yadav, with his superior skills, would have handled the spinners more effectively had he been included in the ODIs.
“Jaiswal has no match with Gill, I’m telling this with experience. No doubt, Iyer has an average of 48 but Suryakumar Yadav is 1000 times better player. On spin-friendly tracks, you need players who can hit sweeps, and reverse sweeps. Suryakumar would’ve easily tackled all the spinners in the series, Jaiswal also tackles spinners well.”
This marked the first time India has lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka since 1997. The Sri Lankan team clinched the series 2-0, with the opening match ending in a tie.
