Yashasvi Jaiswal, the opener, has everything the Indian cricket team wants. A young swashbuckling southpaw who takes the bowlers on and is proficient against pacers and spinners. However, the aggressive opener’s young career may have already hit a snag.
People are raving about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s return for the IND vs AFG T20 series. But their return doesn’t offer a solution for Team India’s success but rather opens up a can of worms.
Before their sudden call-up, Yashasvi Jaiswal was motoring along fine and was even seen as India’s No. 1 opener for the T20 World Cup 2024. But the senior duo’s return could prove to be the end of the road for Jaiswal’s World Cup aspirations.
Yashasvi Jaiswal to miss the IND vs AFG series & T20 World Cup 2024?
The India cricket team has always been a top-order heavy side, and the case remains the same. Right now, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are fighting for the opener’s spot.
Given that Rohit is the skipper, his spot is permanent. That means it’s a three-way tie between Jaiswal, Kohli, and Gill. Now, people may think Kohli bats at 3, but he may not be going forward. The former Indian skipper opens the batting for his IPL franchise, and now that he’s returning to the T20 set-up, he may want to occupy the same position.
But let’s assume that Kohli bats at the number 3 spot. Now, it’s a straight shootout between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.
In their young careers, both openers have great records. But Jaiswal pips Gill in both average and strike rate. That must mean the Indian cricket team will pick Jaiswal over Gill. That’s not a surety.
Over the last couple of years, with Rahul Dravid as coach and Rohit as skipper, we have seen Team India back experience over explosiveness. Some might even say they have a defensive mindset, as evident with Rohit and Kohli getting picked.
Gill has already played 77 matches for India in all three formats, and Jaiswal has just 19 to his name. The southpaw made his debut a mere six months ago, while Gill made his debut in 2019.
As iterated earlier, Gill’s experience may overpower Jaiswal’s intent and aggression, and the southpaw may not only miss out on a spot in the final XI in the IND vs AFG T20 series but even the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
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