Jaiswal looked in good touch during the practice sessions ahead of India’s three-match ODI series against West Indies. Yet he is unlikely to be part of the starting XI, at least for the opening ODI, especially after India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed that Gill, who got hit in the elbow on Friday, was “good to go”. It might seem harsh that a player of Jaiswal’s form and record is being forced to wait but Kotak doesn’t see it that way.
“I think there is so much competition [for spots in the team] and so many players are performing,” Kotak said. “Jaiswal is one of the best and whenever he gets an opportunity, he performs. So he is part of the team. As support staff, obviously we look after his skills, his practice and his mindset. But sometimes you see, say there are three very good wicketkeepers in a team; only one will play.
“So it is not that somebody has been unfair to him. I just think it is part of the game. He should keep working hard and wait for his opportunity. And so far, whenever the team needed him, he has performed. But I think we do look after his skills and his practice. We follow up on where he is, how he is doing and when he is with the team. That’s all we can do and that’s what we do.”
Jaiswal made his Test debut in July 2023, but it took him close to two years to make an ODI debut. Since then, too, he has only played six ODIs. His numbers in those six ODIs have been exceptional: 285 runs with two centuries and an average of 71.25.
He played the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan at home and scored an unbeaten 110 in the third ODI, but wasn’t included in the squad for the subsequent tour of England.
“There is a very thin line between trying new players and trying to get the results,” Kotak said. “It’s the captain and head coach’s job to give opportunities, but at the same time, we have to see that we get the desired results also.”
Ravindra Jadeja ‘obviously in the mix’ for ODI World Cup
Another standout player from India’s ODI squad is Ravindra Jadeja, who is back in the 50-over setup after eight months. He last played an ODI in January, but Kotak believes the allrounder is in consideration for next year’s World Cup.
“I think he is obviously in the mix,” Kotak said. “I am not part of the selection [committee], so I don’t know what their thinking is. I just think whoever is coming and playing for India, they are obviously part of the 20-25 players who possibly can be in the team
“Jadeja is an outstanding all-rounder. We all know. You see his records. How the team will be set up and what kind of combination selectors and captain and head coach will go with is secondary. And there is time for that. But Jadeja, to me, is one of the best fielders we still have on a world level.
“He bowls, he bats and the experience he has, and I actually firmly believe that experience is something you cannot beat. So like we see Rohit, we see Virat, [the same way] we see Jadeja. And that brings a lot to the team. Jadeja is obviously a very useful member of the team.”
The 2027 ODI World Cup is just over a year away, but, starting now, India are seeing every series as preparation for the tournament, which gets underway on October 4 next year. They also will not be taking West Indies, currently ranked No. 10 in the format, lightly.
“West Indies as a team, they have skills,” Kotak said. “There are some very good batters, some very good bowlers. So it is a good series for us. For us, looking one year ahead, we have approximately about 30-31 one-dayers. They all are important for us because we want to execute the way we want. Forget the opposition. If we can successfully do that, within a year’s time, we should be ready for any challenges, on any wicket.
“In our preparation plans, mainly I am talking about the batting point of view. We take advice, we take everybody’s thinking; how we go about it, how we need to start preparing. If we bat first, we bowl first. For example, [the World Cup] is [in] South Africa, so what kind of wickets we can get, what can be the challenges.
“And then obviously all the senior players also have some opinions. We discuss about it and we plan. So from now on, our plan is to go series by series. Luckily, we have New Zealand series where obviously it is outside [Asia], so there will be some different conditions. There might be moisture, there might be grass.
“So we have to plan both ways. That is the process. And we are quite looking forward to that. And every series, whether it is Sri Lanka or Zimbabwe or New Zealand, all the games are important for us.”
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with Cricinfo
