“KL Rahul’s Replacement”: Michael Vaughan Wants Yashasvi Jaiswal to be Part of India Squad for WTC Final

Former England captain Michael Vaughan reckons he would’ve selected Rajasthan Royals opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Indian squad for the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia next month.

Although the original 15-member squad was announced last month, it had a scope for a late change after batter KL Rahul was ruled out because of a thigh injury which he sustained during the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023.

Uncapped in the Test format, wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan was named Rahul’s replacement earlier this week. Having said that, according to Vaughan, Jaiswal could have been a fitting replacement for Rahul taking into consideration his current form for RR.

Michael Vaughan Wants Yashasvi Jaiswal to be Part of India Squad for WTC Final

Vaughan’s tweet on Jaiswal came in the wake of the left-handed batter scoring the fastest IPL half-century against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens tonight. Although Jaiswal missed out a second IPL century, his 98* (47) at a strike rate of 208.51 was enough for his team to seal a 150-run chase in 13.1 overs.

Even though Jaiswal’s recent heroics have come in a completely different format, he has an equally formidable record in other formats of cricket as well. It is due to the 21-year old player’s first-class and List A averages of 80.21 and 53.96 respectively that he is considered as a prototypical all-format prospect for India.

However, a primary reason why Jaiswal wasn’t in contention for a maiden Test call-up at this point in time was his inability to keep wickets unlike both Rahul and Kishan. With India scheduled to tour Ireland and West Indies post the culmination of IPL 2023, Jaiswal should earn a national call-up in the near future.

KL Rahul Bows Down to Yashasvi Jaiswal

Recovering after undergoing a surgery, Rahul couldn’t control his excitement at watching the manner in which Jaiswal punished KKR’s bowlers on Thursday. Much like Vaughan, Rahul also took to social media platform Twitter to express approval of Jaiswal.

While India and Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma had already expressed astonishment at Jaiswal’s six-hitting ability, former India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli also uploaded an Instagram story to laud for Jaiswal’s “talent”.