The Australian pace great reckons this uncapped Indian batter is set to serve the country for a long time to come.
Following the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) closely, former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris and Australia pacer Brett Lee discussed the futures of Rajasthan Royals (RR) young batting prodigy Yashasvi Jaiswal and struggling Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Prithvi Shaw in the contention to bag the India cap.
Styris reckons Jaiswal, who has taken his game two notches higher in IPL 2023, could soon be playing for India and serve the country for a long time to come. An idea that Lee agreed with wholeheartedly. The two ex cricketers, however, think the prospects of Shaw making a return for India are quite bleak for now.
Jaiswal, the 21-year-old elegant left-hander, has elevated his game to another cliff this summer, operating at an eye-catching strike-rate of 158.42 while retaining an impressive average of 44.20 after 10 matches.Jaiswal’s tally of 428 is unmatched by any other Royals batter.
Shaw has paled in comparison to the fellow Mumbaikar in this IPL, which has only reinforced his longstanding technical problems against both pace and spin. The aggressive right-hander has been dropped twice by the Capitals team management after collecting just 47 runs in his six innings.
Amidst fresh doubts on Shaw’s technical prowess and his overall prospects towards an India comeback, having not played for the country in two years now, Styris and Lee have given Jaiswal a nod of approval to displace him in the pecking order and be India’s next opening batter across formats.
Speaking on an IPL 2023 special show on digital broadcaster ‘JioCinema’ app, Styris and Lee said Shaw is nowhere near as good as Jaiswal in his current avatar and must sort his game out soon to regain his footing in the Indian set-up or risk losing his spot in the pecking order of preference to rising young talents such as Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“I know you used Prithvi Shaw’s name here,” Styris said in response to a query from the show’s anchor. “All the competition of young players around… Shaw is so far off the pace, it’s not even funny. He needs to work, he needs to go back to domestic cricket and the IPL, and work out on his game. He has to get himself fit and be indispensable.”
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Styris’ co-commentator and ex cricketer Lee took note of Jaiswal’s excellent progress and deemed him fit for an India cap in not too distant future.
“I’m really impressed by his (Yashasvi Jaiswal) temperament, his strike rate is absolutely brilliant. He’s got the right attitude. He’s going to play for India for many, many years,” Lee said in effusive praise for the talented cricketer.
