Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made some surprising remarks about the Rajasthan Royals’ young gun Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal has been among the most important players in the RR setup over the last few years, and this year, graduated to captaining in some matches.
RR have made it to the playoffs of IPL 2026 after winning their last league stage match on Sunday, and will take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on May 27 at the Mahraja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur (New Chandigarh).
“I expected a lot from him” – Ashwin on Yashasvi Jaiswal
On his YouTube channel, Ashwin talked about how he expected more from Jaiswal in the IPL this year. Ashwin said that the explosiveness of boy wonder, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, might have shaken Jaiswal just a little bit.
Ashwin went on to compare the two to India’s opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra on the 2002/03 tour of Australia, where Sehwag was the explosive one and Chopra stoic.
“I am surprised by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s performance. I am a little surprised. I had expected a lot from him, but I just have a slight inkling of a feeling that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s display might have shaken Jaiswal a bit. If you remember Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra’s opening pair in Tests, Aakash Chopra used to play really well. He gave good starts with his 30s and 40s, but the way Virender Sehwag batted, it used to almost make Aakash Chopra look invisible. But he was not. Aakash Chopra did a good job in the Australia tour,” Ashwin said.
“I want to see Jaiswal do well” – Ashwin
Ashwin went on to analyse how, on multiple occasions this season, Jaiswal had simply thrown his wicket away, possibly because he was trying to match Sooryavanshi’s explosiveness.
Ashwin clarified that in this situation, someone needed to put an arm around Jaiswal and have a talk with him.
“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive batting has just thrown Jaiswal off a little. He has gotten out many times while looking to hit the ball very hard. I want to see Yashasvi Jaiswal bat well because he has the ability,” Ashwin added.
“In the Rajasthan Royals, Yashasvi Jaiswal was the talk of the town for the last two to three years. Suddenly, in front of the poster boy of the Rajasthan Royals, there is another poster boy whose ability is throwing world cricket upside down. You have never heard that the best bowlers in the world, be it Pat Cummins or anyone else, come and talk about Yashasvi Jaiswal. We have to give it to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but we also need to give empathy to Yashasvi Jaiswal. Someone needs to put a hand on his shoulder and talk to him,” he elaborated.
Yashasvi Jaiswal in IPL 2026
While Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been the explosive one, Jaiswal has struggled just a little bit with his consistency in IPL 2026.
In 14 matches, Jaiswal has managed just 397 runs at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 159. He has also hit three half-centuries with a high score of 77*.
Jaiswal is RR’s third-highest run scorer this season.
Also Read: SRH backed to come out on top against RR in IPL 2026 Eliminator by Ambati Rayudu
