Former India batter Aakash Chopra has said that opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has gone beyond Shubman Gill in India’s T20I setup. India beat Afghanistan by 6 wickets at the Holkar Stadium in Indore to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
IND vs AFG, 2nd T20I: Scorecard
Jaiswal, who missed the opening match of the series due to a minor injury, returned in Indore and set the stage alight. Jaiswal and Shivam Dube scored half-centuries as India chased down the target with 6 wickets and 26 balls remaining.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said Jaiswal has gone beyond Gill in India’s T20I setup, insisting that it’d be unfair to not select him for the T20 World Cup. Jaiswal scored 68 runs off 34 deliveries, smashing five boundaries and six maximums.
“Yashasvi is going. Again, the way he is batting. You will feel it would be unfair if you do not take him. Sometimes you are undroppable, meaning he is selectable. That is why he is here, making runs. Now he has gone beyond (Shubman) Gill. But now you will not be able to touch him,” said Chopra.
He went on to say that if India don’t pick Jaiswal, it would be the same scenario as in the 2022 T20 World Cup. India were hammered by England in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup, winning the match by 10 wickets and eventually clinching the trophy as well.
“You should not even try for it (not selecting Jaiswal) because you need something like this while batting. Otherwise, it will be the same as 2022; again and again, everything will be the same, the style of playing will be the same and only the year has changed,” Chopra added.
Jaiswal has made an amazing start to his India career, breaking into the Test and T20I teams. He’s scored 316 runs in 4 Test matches at an average of 45.14 while amassing 498 runs in 16 T20Is, averaging 35.57, while striking at 163.81.
India will be looking to clean-sweep the Afghans when they lock horns at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on January 17.
