Rajasthan Royals' young gun Yashasvi Jaiswal played a sensational inning against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday, scoring the fastest fifty in the history of the Indian Premier League.
While chasing the paltry total of 150, Jaiswal reached his fifty in just 13 balls and helped his team win the game by 9 wickets. “I wanted to play a long inning, and I am pleased it came in a winning cause. Over the past few games, I have been trying to finish off games for my team and stay till the end, and it worked out well today,” Jaiswal said.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh was elated to see Jaiswal’s batting and said that he will pick him in the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal isn't just knocking at the doors of the Indian Cricket Team, he seems to be breaking it with his consistently good performances. He's carried his imperious form of domestic cricket into IPL. What a talent he is! The future of Indian Cricket is in good hands," Harbhajan said on Star Sports.
The Mumbai-based batter is the second-highest run-getter in the IPL 2023 as of now and is standing only behind RCB’s skipper Faf du Plessis, who collected 576 runs. After witnessing young guns firing in the ongoing IPL 2023, former India coach Ravi Shastri also requested the selectors to give chances to players like Jaiswal and Rinku Singh.
"If Team India is focusing on ODI World Cup, selectors should look to give as many opportunities to the youngsters like Yashasvi and Rinku. These players should be fast-tracked and can be prepared for next year's T20 World Cup in West Indies. If the selectors don't pick them now then I don't know what else they are looking for," said Shastri.
The ODI World Cup is set to take place in October-November in India later this year.