Jasprit Bumrah and Yashasvi Jaiswal absent from Aakash Chopra's World Test XI, four other Indians included

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has named his ultimate World Test XI based on performances in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, and the selection has drawn considerable attention for the notable absences of Jasprit Bumrah and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Four Indian players - KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja - were named in Chopra's XI of players in the current Test cricket landscape. Gill has been among the standout performers in the current WTC cycle. The India captain

has accumulated 1,024 runs across 10 matches at an average of 68.26, striking five centuries along the way. New England captain Joe Root and compatriot Harry Brook join Gill in the middle-order.

Pant slots in as wicketkeeper-batter, while Jadeja provides the all-round balance as the lone specialist spinner. Ben Stokes, the now-retired former England Test captain, completes the all-round department alongside Jadeja. 

Why did Jaiswal miss Chopra's World Test XI?

Chopra opted for Travis Head and KL Rahul as his two openers, preferring both ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Aiden Markram. The decision to leave out Jaiswal was rooted in a perceived dip in the young left-hander's recent form within the WTC cycle. Head's consistent performances across conditions and Rahul's reliability at the top of the order were the key factors that pushed both men ahead of Jaiswal in Chopra's assessment. Chopra also made a case for the non-inclusion of South African opener Aiden Markram

"I am unable to keep Yashasvi Jaiswal's name because there has been a slight dip in form in the last little while. I am unable to keep Aiden Markram's name as he hasn't played much cricket," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Why was Bumrah left out of the World Test XI?

Bumrah's absence from the pace attack came down to Chopra's methodology of evaluating numbers accumulated over the last two years of the current WTC cycle. The Indian pacer has missed a considerable amount of cricket during this period, which reduced his overall tally compared to the three seamers who were ultimately selected.

Australia's Mitchell Starc, England's Josh Tongue and West Indies' Shamar Joseph were chosen as the frontline pace bowlers. Mohammed Siraj, another India seamer who has been active in the cycle, also missed out on a place in the XI. Starc and Tongue are the joint-highest wicket-takers in the 2025-27 WTC cycle with 58 scalps each.

"Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj aren't there because we are looking at the numbers in the last two years. Bumrah has missed a lot of cricket as well," Chopra said.

Aakash Chopra's World Test XI: Travis Head, KL Rahul, Joe Root, Shubman Gill, Harry Brook, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Starc, Josh Tongue, Shamar Joseph