Following his record-breaking 13-ball fifty in an incredible nine-wicket victory against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is reportedly pressuring the national selectors to take note of his brilliance and offer him an India call-up. This is according to former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
Chasing 150, Jaiswal got off to a fast start, scoring 50 runs in only 13 balls, including 26 runs in the first over against Nitish Rana. Jaiswal beat the previous record of a 14-ball half-century in the competition, set by K.L. Rahul in 2018 and Pat Cummins in 2022, by reaching the fifty-run mark in the IPL’s history in the process.
With his constantly strong performances, Yashasvi Jaiswal doesn’t simply seem to be smashing down the Indian Cricket Team’s doors. He has brought over his tyrannical domestic cricket style into the IPL. He has such potential! The future of Indian cricket is in capable hands, according to Harbhajan, as reported by Star Sports.
With an unbroken 121-run partnership with captain Sanju Samson for the second wicket, Jaiswal was brilliant in his strokeplay, combining bravado and a fearless approach to hit 13 fours and five sixes at a strike-rate of 208.51 to be 98 not out and move Rajasthan into third place in the points table.
In agreement with Harbhajan’s assessment of Jaiswal, former India head coach Ravi Shastri said that the moment is right to integrate new players in India’s T20I team while the veteran players gear up for the ODI World Cup, which would be played at home later in the year.
“Selectors should aim to offer as many chances to the young players like Yashasvi and Rinku if Team India is concentrating on the ODI World Cup. These guys need to move quickly so that they may be ready for the West Indies T20 World Cup the following year. I’m not sure what else the selectors are searching for if they don’t choose them right away, he said.
Yuzvendra Chahal, a leg-spinner, surpassed Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo to capture the most wickets in tournament history earlier in the game. With his spell of mesmerizing 4-25, Chahal has now taken 187 wickets in 143 games, surpassing Bravo’s total of 183 wickets and becoming the competition’s top wicket-taker.
Harbhajan concluded by praising Chahal for his continuously strong performance and manipulating batters throughout the match.
“Yuzvendra Chahal doesn’t play the format; instead, he plays with the batsmen’s minds. He bowls entirely with his wits and is not concerned about taking sixes. He makes the greatest use of the field, making it difficult for the batters to play him.
