"It's a matter of when and not if" - Aakash Chopra says Yashasvi Jaiswal will definitely play for India
Aakash Chopra believes Yashasvi Jaiswal is not too far from donning Team India's jersey after his belligerent knock for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL 2023 clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
KKR set RR a 150-run target after being asked to bat first in Kolkata on Thursday, May 11. Jaiswal then smoked an unbeaten 98 off just 47 balls as Sanju Samson and Co. chased down the target with nine wickets and 41 deliveries to spare to climb into third position in the points table.
While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra predicted a bright future for Yashasvi Jaiswal, saying:
"Naam Yashasvi, kaam yashasvi, banda tejaswi. The applause should keep continuing. He is playing in the pink jersey as of now, but he will 100% play for India. It's a matter of when and not if."
While acknowledging that Yuzvendra Chahal bowled an excellent spell during KKR's innings, the former Indian batter pointed out that the Rajasthan Royals opener almost won them the game single-handedly, stating:
"Yashasvi is a super player. It seemed he defeated Kolkata alone this time. Of course, Chahal picked up four wickets but this innings - the ball was round but it lost its shape because of the hitting."
Chahal returned figures of 4/25 in his four overs to help RR restrict KKR to a below-par score. Jaiswal then carted the home team's bowlers all around the park to make it a one-sided affair.
"Yashasvi's innings was special" - Aakash Chopra picks Yashasvi Jaiswal as his MVP
![Yashasvi Jaiswal's half-century off 13 balls is the fastest in IPL history. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/05/f2cca-16838645660554-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra highlighted that the slightly difficult surface seemed to be a batter's paradise when Yashasvi Jaiswal was playing, elaborating:
"When Yashasvi was batting, the pitch looked totally different. The most valuable player - I feel like taking Yuzi Chahal's name because he picked up four wickets, the Purple Cap is on his head and he has taken the most wickets in this tournament's history but the truth is that Yashasvi's innings was special."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the southpaw was undoubtedly the most valuable player (MVP) of the match, explaining:
"That was an innings to remember, applaud, acknowledge and appreciate. He batted amazingly well. If I had been commentating, I would have run out of adjectives. The fastest fifty in the history of the tournament. It is rare that you reach that far so early. The most valuable player has to be Yashasvi Jaiswal."
Chopra concluded by urging the selectors to pick Jaiswal for India's away tour of the West Indies. He added that the youngster could even be seen in Team India's colors in the home series against Afghanistan next month.