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IPL 2023 has given umpteen options to the Indian selectors as the tournament has reached the final phase of the league stage. Veterans and experts have been backing quite a few of those names for the Indian team for the upcoming T20 series later in the summer.
But there has been only one name that most, if not all, want in the team for the impending ODI World Cup. Former India cricketer Suresh Raina was among the first to back young Yashasvi Jaiswal for the role, but Kevin Pietersen’s recent remark on the ODI World Cup pitted the RR star against Shubman Gill.
Yashasvi and Gill have both been in fabulous form in the ongoing IPL 2023, separated by only a run as both stay firm in the race for the Orange Cap, standing only behind RCB captain Faf du Plessis. Both have so far batted 13 times this season to score give half-century plus knocks which includes a century each, but while Gill managed 576 runs to stand second, Yashasvi scored 575 runs. The only other factor separating the two is Yashasvi’s superior strike rate of 166.18 compared to Gill’s 146. The Rajasthan Royals opener also has a better boundary rate.
In a column for Betway, Pietersen was full of praise for the two young batters as he exclaimed that he sees the “future of the India top order” in Gill and Yashasvi before he urged the selectors to back the latter for the ODI World Cup team hence pitting the two against each other. The GT star is already Rohit Sharma’s designated opening partner in ODIs having snatched that spot from Shikhar Dhawan last year and cemented it with a record double ton in January. Yashasvi’s inclusion would only mean that he would be considered as a third opener for India, putting him in direct competition with Gill.
“We’re seeing the future of the India top order in Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. I would really strongly look at Jaiswal for the 50-over World Cup. I’d blood him and let him go. I think 50 overs is going to be a thing of the past in the not-too-distant future, but I’d get him into the squad straight away,” he said.
Pietersen was also full of praise for IPL serving as a big platform for these young talented cricketers to prove their worth at a big stage.
“The IPL gives young players three things. It gives them the opportunity to play, it gives them the visibility of the fans around the world, and it gives them the composure to be able to perform in the highest intensity of battle. Stadiums are full, everything’s busy, and it’s high intensity,” he added. “If you come through that and tick all three boxes, then you’re destined to play international sport. That’s what I’ve seen from these two youngsters in particular, they’re stars. They’re not just hit and miss cricketers, they’re absolute quality.”
