Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has requested the Indian team management, headed by Gautam Gambhir, to offer ample chances to Yashasvi Jaiswal in the forthcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies.
Speaking to JioHotstar, Pathan asserted that the home West Indies series will offer the Indian team a chance to test their bench strength. It’s worth noting that a lot of Indian players have been selected for the Asian Games and will miss the ODI series vs WI.
“This is not the main team against the West Indies for the ODIs, and I feel that’s the right way to go. Bumrah is not there, Shreyas, Axar, and Washington Sundar are all playing at the Asian Games. You are going to get only a few matches before the World Cup next year, and in those games, you want to test your bench strength as well,” Irfan Pathan told JioHotstar.
“With the Asian Games and the West Indies series happening simultaneously, it’s a blessing in disguise, where a lot of young boys will definitely get a chance,” he added.
In his last ODI, Jaiswal scored an unbeaten 110 runs off just 86 balls against Afghanistan earlier in June 2026. However, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma are the current opening duo, with Jaiswal emerging as the back-up opener.
“One player I will have my eyes on, in terms of the number of opportunities he gets in this one-day series against the West Indies, is Yashasvi Jaiswal. He is the backup opener in the squad, and by the time you reach South Africa for the World Cup, your backup opener should have had enough opportunities,” he said.
“So, whenever there is an opportunity, I would want to see him playing regularly. Obviously, you will have to think about how you create those opportunities, whether you shuffle the batting order or rotate the players, but I hope he gets his chances against the West Indies,” he concluded.
