Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has praised Yashasvi Jaiswal for his fine knock in the third ODI against South Africa at Vizag on Saturday. Jaiswal scored an unbeaten knock of 116 runs off 121 balls, scoring his maiden ODI century.
The Indian opener was dismissed cheaply in the first two matches but he was finally able to deliver in the third game. Jaiswal took his time as he completed his fifty off 75 balls in the run-chase of 271.
Jaiswal added a fine opening alliance of 155 runs with Rohit Sharma to put India in the driver’s seat. Chopra highlighted that Jaiswal might not get his chance in the next six to eight months as he was playing in place of captain Shubman Gill.
“The biggest headline story was Yashasvi Jaiswal. This might be his last match for Team India for a while. I don’t see him playing in the next six to eight months. Unfortunate as it might be, but this is the reality, because the guy in whose place he plays is this team’s captain,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“He is not just the captain. He is also an incredible player. I am talking about Shubman Gill. He will return when the next series happens. Then he will only open. Yashasvi will be in the team, but he won’t get a chance to play,” he observed.
Meanwhile, Jaiswal also became the sixth Indian batter to score a century across all formats. Chopra said the pressure might be mounting on Jaiswal after two ordinary scores in the first two matches.
“The first two matches had gone bad. Four innings in Tests had gone bad. So he was feeling a little pressure. Of course, it was a slightly reasonable target to chase, but he batted beautifully. He also set aside the problem against left-arm seamers. He scored a century and became the sixth Indian batter to score a century in all three formats,” he said.
“He is a good player. You won’t be able to make him sit out for long, but the truth is that a place won’t become available that easily. The same thing is true for Ruturaj Gaikwad. He also scored a century, but he too won’t have a place in the XI once Shreyas Iyer becomes available,” Chopra elaborated.
India will next take on South Africa in a five-match T20I series, starting Tuesday.
