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In April, rumors were rife about a serious rift between Ajinkya Rahane and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Now, Rahane has picked Jaiswal as the first of 3 players he’d watch closely in England.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (L) and Ajinkya Rahane’s relationship was recently described as ‘untenable’. (PC: AP, Sportzpics)
Ajinkya Rahane picked Yashasvi Jaiswal as the first among the three Indian players he’s looking forward to watching in the upcoming five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Rahane feels Jaiswal has the skills to handle the opening responsibilities in England due to his adaptability.
His comments follow reports in April that claimed Rahane and Jaiswal, teammates in Mumbai, had grown increasingly apart since 2022. India Today described their relationship to be completely broken down, saying that Jaiswal even kicked Rahane’s kitbag during the 2025 Ranji Trophy after feeling ‘wrongly targeted’ by the Mumbai captain and coach Omkar Salvi after the team’s defeat to Jammu and Kashmir.
This equation was cited as a reason behind Jaiswal’s decision to switch to Goa from Mumbai — he has since made a U-Turn, requesting the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to take him back.
“Personally, I’m really looking forward to seeing Yashasvi Jaiswal do well because opening the batting in England is really important,” Rahane said in a video on his YouTube channel on Thursday, on the eve of the first Test in Headingley. “He has the game for it — he can control one end and also go on the attack when needed. So I’m really looking forward to seeing Jaiswal perform in England.”
“I also want to see Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah do well because, as senior campaigners, they have the responsibility to lead the attack and pick up wickets for the team,” Rahane, who captained India to the 2021 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, added. “We all know Bumrah is an excellent bowler and a proven wicket-taker, but I’d like to see him take that extra responsibility and help the team get through challenging situations, because winning a Test series in England is always very special.”
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s retirements and the exits of several other senior players, Jaiswal’s experience, though brief, becomes much more crucial for India. He’s likely to be paired up top with KL Rahul.
The left-hander has played 19 Tests for the country, scoring 1798 runs at an average of 52.88, including four centuries. His Australia tour was slightly underwhelming but several observers feel that English conditons should suit him better.
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