Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri reckons Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the first name picked for India in T20Is after the conclusion of IPL 2023. Jaiswal grabbed the headlines after he scored a piece de resistance knock of 98 runs off just 47 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday.
The left-hander smashed 13 fours and five sixes in his whirlwind knock and helped his team in their comprehensive nine-wicket win. Jaiswal has been in sublime form in the ongoing IPL 2023 as he has scored 575 runs in 12 matches at an average of 52.27 and a strike rate of 167.15 and he is currently the second-highest run-getter of the season.
Earlier, Jaiswal also scored a fantastic knock of 124 runs against Mumbai Indians but his heroics with the bat had gone in vain.
With his consistent performances at the top of the order for RR, Jaiswal is knocking on the doors of the T20I selection for the national team.
“Jaiswal continues to wow everybody who watches him. In some of his shots through the off-side, the head is absolutely still and the footwork is impeccable. For someone who is 21 years old, he has come up the hard way,” Ravi Shastri told Star Sports.
“Immediately (How soon will he get an India call-up?). The selectors would love seeing what they are seeing. They would love to see such a talent after a long wait, someone who is so good across all formats.
“And especially, in white-ball cricket, in T20 cricket, he walks into the side irrespective of who’s there. His will be the first name picked,” Shastri added.
Meanwhile, Jaiswal has an inspiring story as he used to sell Pani Puri so that he could make ends meet in the nascent stages as a budding cricketer in the maidans of Mumbai. Jaiswal has now hogged the limelight with his impressive game and he will want to keep up the good show.
“When you go through that kind of hardship, Pani Puri, we all eat it. He had to do it to make ends meet. You are tough, you are really tough mentally. You are ready. And you can see he is sorted. Let’s hope he stays that way. It’s important when you come up that quickly. I hope he gets the best guidance, and he is kept grounded. He is not someone who is going to forget it. It’s going to reap him rewards like never before,” Shastri said.
Rajasthan Royals will next take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 60th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur in a day game on Sunday.
