India’s young batting star Yashasvi Jaiswal is facing a tough fight to secure his place in the white-ball teams. Despite showing his talent and scoring runs at the international level, strong competition from other players has pushed Yashasvi Jaiswal down the selection order.

Now, the young opener has been working on his wicketkeeping skills, which has raised questions about whether he is trying a different way to earn a regular place in India’s playing XI.

MSK Prasad sends strong message to Yashasvi Jaiswal over wicketkeeping plans

However, Yashasvi Jaiswal has cemented his position in India’s Test XI, but there is no clarity on his white-ball future. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have strengthened their positions, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is another backup opening option in the T20I cricket.

In ODIs, Jaiswal is behind Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. The 24-year-old has already scored two centuries in just six ODIs, but Rohit’s presence has made it difficult for him to get regular opportunities in the white-ball formats.

However, former Indian chief selector MSK Prasad believes that Jaiswal does not need to take up wicketkeeping to improve his chances of playing for India. He explained that Rahul Dravid and KL Rahul had kept wickets during their age-group cricket days, which helped them move into the role later in their careers. But this is not the case for Jaiswal.

MSK Prasad was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times, "Yashasvi Jaiswal doesn't need to get into wicket-keeping or other stuff. I mean, see, people earlier who got into wicket-keeping, like Rahul Dravid or KL Rahul, were all wicket-keepers till the Under-19 level. Though in later stages they stopped doing wicket-keeping, that natural instinct still stayed with them.”

MSK Prasad gives reality check to Yashasvi Jaiswal

Prasad also pointed out that specialist wicketkeepers like Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant are struggling to find regular places in the team, while Sanju Samson is also facing strong competition.

The former Indian cricketer has questioned whether learning wicketkeeping would really help Jaiswal break into the playing XI. Amid this, Suryansh Shedge set for maiden ODI call-up for India's tour of New Zealand.

He added, “Today we have Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant. They are also not finding a place. Someone like Sanju Samson is not finding a place because of the competition that we have right now for every slot. If you are thinking about wicketkeeping, then Ishan Kishan is also a wicketkeeper and an opening batsman. I don't know whether that is the right way of thinking.”

Jaiswal still in India’s 2027 World Cup plans

Prasad believes that Jaiswal should remain in India’s plans for the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. However, the former chief selector believes that Jaiswal could improve his chances by developing his bowling.

India are looking for top-order batters who can contribute with the ball. Interestingly, the left-handed batter was once known as an all-rounder who could bowl leg-spin.

Prasad signed off by saying, “Yashasvi should definitely be in the scheme of things for the World Cup as well. We don't have any top-order batsmen who can bowl. We have ready-made wicket-keepers, three of them, but not batsmen who can bowl. So, it's better, you know, I'm sure the Indian selectors must be looking at batsmen who can bowl.”