'Hats off to the selectors and Rohit Sharma' - Suresh Raina on Yashasvi Jaiswal's inclusion in India's Champions Trophy squad

Yashasvi Jaiswal has provided India an aggressive approach at the top of the order which was not seen since the legendary Virender Sehwag retired. The southpaw finished as the second-highest run-getter in 2024 calender year. It is worth noting that the young batter has represented India only in Tests and T20Is and is yet to make his ODI debut. 

Having said that, the squad for the England ODI series at home and Champions Trophy 2025 have been announced and Jaiswal has been named based on his performance so far. However, some have expressed concerns over his inclusion as he has not played a single ODI. Former India cricketer Suresh Raina has reasoned the motive behind the decision,highlighting that Jaiswal carries the required attitude and is capabile to represent India with the backing of the captain. 

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“I think that boy is very hungry for runs. I mean, whenever we see his story, I think he has come to that level very eagerly. Hats off to the selectors, especially Rohit Sharma. Without playing ODI, you are taking that boy to the Champions Trophy. You know that he does a lot of hard work, dedication is very good,” said Raina speaking to Star Sports. 

“But he has a different attitude in his eyes, he has a different patience. It seems that this boy has come prepared. This is the beauty of Indian cricket. If you work hard and you have the passion to represent the country, then there will be some power that will tell you to go and represent the country. Rohit has done this with Yashasvi,” he added. 

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Speaking of Jaiswal’s recent outings, he was the top scorer for India in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 as he scored 391 runs at an average of 43.44 with on century and two half centuries in 10 innings. He was named in T20 World Cup 2024 squad but did not play a single game as Virat Kohli opened with Rohit Sharma throughout the tournament.