India batter Shreyas Iyer's viral revelation last week in Nagpur sparked major criticism on the Indian think tank. With Iyer saying that he wasn't supposed to play in the first ODI against England, it led to speculations on India's Champions Trophy plan, which did not include one of their heroes from the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, head coach Gautam Gambhir cleared the air on the rumours as he explained the move behind introducing Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Nagpur tie.
Iyer showed his importance in the Indian ODI set-up as he smashed 181 runs in three innings against England as the hosts secured a 3-0 whitewash.
After the first match last week, Iyer created quite a stir following his counter-attacking 36-ball 59, saying that he was not supposed to play the game in Nagpur and only managed to get his name on the team sheet after Virat Kohli was benched with a swollen knee, which was contrary to the general idea that Jaiswal made his debut in place of the 36-year-old. The revelation sparked speculations that Iyer would make way for Kohli in the subsequent matches.
"He wasn't supposed to be benched throughout the series. We wanted to give Yashasvi (Jaiswal) a go in the first game and see what he can bring on the table because he was in (a) really good form in Australia," Gambhir said after the third and final match on Wednesday.
'You can't judge someone after one innings'
Jaiswal was eventually benched in the second and third ODI matches of the series as Kohli returned, before the opener, who was initially named in the Champions Trophy squad as a back-up opener, was demoted to the reserves list.
Gambhir said while Jaiswal's potential should not be judged after just one game, he admitted that Iyer as always in India's scheme of things for Champions Trophy.
"I know that you can't judge someone (Jaiswal) by one innings. But we always knew that Shreyas was going to be an important player for us. Sometimes when you've only got three games, you want to try and rotate your squad as well," the coach reasoned.
"(And) when you've got Champions Trophy around the corner, you want to try and maximise these three games and try and give everyone an opportunity. But Shreyas was always in the scheme of things (and it is) good that he played all the three games," Gambhir added.
The Champions Trophy gets underway on February 19 with India talking Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.