3 reasons why Yashasvi Jaiswal could replace Ishan Kishan in India's T20I team
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been in tremendous run-scoring form over the past few years, making his mark in the domestic circuit as well as the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener has scored 851 runs in his IPL career, averaging 27.45 at a strike rate of 139. Having been backed by the franchise, he is finally starting to churn out a consistent run of performances for them and is showing his quality on the biggest stage.
The 21-year-old is yet to make an appearance for the Indian side, though, and faces stiff competition from more than a few. Ishan Kishan is one of his direct competitors in terms of a place in the side and the roles they execute. With his recent performances, Jaiswal could replace Kishan in the Indian T20I squad.
Here, we take a look at three reasons why:
#1 His form in the IPL has been better
Not often does an opening batter overshadow Jos Buttler when opening alongside the Englishman, but Yashasvi Jaiswal has done that on a few occasions in the IPL this season. The left-handed batter from Mumbai has scored 304 runs this season, averaging 38 at a strike rate of 147.
He has already scored three half-centuries this season and has recorded his highest score in the tournament, scoring 77 against the Chennai Super Kings in yesterday's encounter. The 21-year-old has been in good run-scoring form compared to Ishan Kishan.
#2 Jaiswal is a naturally attacking player
Both Ishan Kishan and Yashasvi Jaiswal are attacking players at the top of the order who will usually bring a lot of intent to their batting. More recently, it has been the Mumbai batter who has been executing his role better, taking down bowlers for fun in the powerplay.
Compared to Kishan, the Rajasthan Royals batter has a much better range of strokes for a top-order batter and looks equally comfortable against pace and spin. His range of strokes makes him difficult to deal with more often than not.
#3 His domestic numbers are too good to ignore
Jaiswal played his part in helping Mumbai win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season. Much like he does with the Rajasthan Royals, he helped lay the platform for his domestic side at the top of the order.
In nine innings, he scored 266 runs at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 142. With 1845 runs in 15 first-class innings, including a highest score of 265, he has also been churning out runs in the longer format and deserves an Indian call-up sooner rather than later.