Shashi Tharoor has put India's ODI selection policy in the spotlight after posting on X about the grim reality facing the country's top-order batters. The trigger was Yashasvi Jaiswal's latest omission from the squad, which came immediately after a century knock, leaving many in the cricket community baffled at the decision.
The Sanju Samson Parallel
Tharoor drew a direct line between Jaiswal's current situation and what Sanju Samson went through in the 2024-25 season. Samson had scored a century during that period and still found himself dropped from the very next ODI match. Tharoor noted that Jaiswal is now experiencing that exact same cycle, where a three-figure score offers no protection against the selectors' axe for the following game.
As Difficult as Being a 1960s Spinner
Tharoor went further in his post by comparing the predicament of today's top-order batters to the difficulties faced by world-class spinners in the 1960s, saying the hardship is equally severe. The historical parallel underlines his view that exceptional individual performances are going unrewarded in a way that should raise serious questions about how continuity and form are being weighed in India's ODI selection process.
Public Reaction
The post drew a broad range of reactions from cricket fans, with many expressing sympathy for Jaiswal and describing the dropping as harsh given his performance, while others argued that the sheer depth of talent in India's squad means selectors will always face brutal choices and no player's place is ever fully safe.
