What a player Yashasvi Jaiswal is! The southpaw showed his mettle in the IND vs AFG 2nd T20I by scoring a glorious yet destructive 68 off 34 balls. That was the 21-year-old’s fourth fifty in T20Is in just his 16th match.
In his short career spanning a little over six months, Jaiswal has already shown what he has to offer the India cricket team in the next decade. Yes, the batter is the next big thing in Indian cricket; there is no world cricket.
However, not all of this credit just goes to Yashasvi Jaiswal. Despite getting flack for their decision over the last couple of years, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have played a master stroke here.
Seeing the southpaw’s immense potential along with his blockbuster performances in domestic and franchise cricket, Jaiswal was rightly fast-tracked by the Indian management.
Ahead of the IND vs AFG series, head coach Dravid had come out and stated that Yashasvi Jaiswal would be their designated T20 opener alongside skipper Rohit.
However, many, including us, doubted the Indian management. Most feared that they’d take Shubman Gill’s experience over Jaiswal’s explosiveness. In the end, they did not, and that deserves some praise. So, let’s dissect why playing the southpaw over the tall right-hander is the right call by Dravid and Rohit.
Yashavi Jaiswal > Shubman Gill in T20Is
Most people might pick Gill because of his flamboyance and his already proven track record in international cricket. But that isn’t the right call in T20Is with the T20 World Cup 2024 in mind.
In their young careers, both openers have great records. But Jaiswal is ahead of Gill in terms of both average and strike rate in T20Is.
Having roughly played the same amount of matches, Yashasvi Jaiswal averages 10 more and strikes at 163 compared to Gill’s 147. Not only this, but the Southpaw also has more 50+ scores than Gill, with four fifties and a ton to his name already in just 15 innings.
Okay, now let’s move to the IPL, a league where Gill was the orange cap holder last year. Despite his blockbuster season, Jaiswal wasn’t that far behind Gill. He scored 265 runs less than Gill (who played three fewer matches) but struck at a faster pace than him.
Their overall career in the league also shows a similar pattern. While Gill averages more, he strikes at a lower pace than Jaiswal. Now, it is up to the management and fans to decide what they want. A higher-average Shubman Gill or faster-hitting Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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