'Injured Mentality': Team India Faces Backlash Over Jaiswal’s Champions Trophy Snub

Yashasvi Jaiswal has been excluded from Team India's Champions Trophy squad [Source: @dr_artisticsoul/X.com]

On February 11, BCCI announced significant changes in India's squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. The announcement stirred controversy among cricket fans, particularly due to the exclusion of young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal from the 15-member squad.

One of the major setbacks for Team India ahead of the tournament was the unavailability of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out due to a lower back injury. In his place, Harshit Rana has been named as a replacement. However, the most shocking decision was dropping Jaiswal from the squad, with mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy taking his place.

Jaiswal, who recently made his ODI debut against England in Nagpur, managed to score only 15 runs before getting dismissed by Jofra Archer. In the second ODI, he was benched as Virat Kohli returned from a knee injury, leading to Shubman Gill opening the innings alongside Rohit Sharma. 

Fans Outraged Over Jaiswal’s Exclusion

While Bumrah’s injury had been a topic of discussion due to his absence in the England ODI series, the bigger shock for many was Jaiswal’s omission from the main squad. Instead of Jaiswal, the selectors opted for Varun Chakaravarthy, who made his ODI debut in Cuttack after an impressive T20I series, where he picked up 14 wickets. 

Despite his limited ODI experience, Jaiswal has been in sublime form in recent times, making a strong impact in domestic and international matches. His exclusion has sparked a massive backlash from fans on social media, with many questioning BCCI’s decision.

Following the squad announcement, fans took to social media platforms, especially X (formerly Twitter), to express their frustration. The hashtag #Jaiswal started trending as users criticised the selectors for sidelining the young batter.

One user wrote, "Bumrah is out of the CT due to injury, and Yashasvi Jaiswal is out of CT due to the injured mentality of Indian selectors. 💔🥺?" Another fan alleged bias in the selection process, stating, "Gambhir successfully destroyed white ball career of yashasvi Jaiswal... first he dropped him from the squad in the name of rest, then after just one match of ODI bench him and now eventually dropped him for their "quota" players"

Team India Squad For Champions Trophy:

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Non-travelling substitutes (The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Shivam Dube.