The World Cup selection deserves a celebration

Aakash Chopra has expressed hope about the Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Yashasvi Jaiswal playing a celebratory knock after his selection in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad.

RR will face the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an IPL 2024 league game in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 2. With 16 points from nine games, the inaugural IPL champions are perched atop the points table. A win against SRH will guarantee them a place in the playoffs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Jaiswal and Jos Buttler as the first two RR players to watch out for in Thursday’s game.

“If I look towards Rajasthan, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yashasvi has just been picked in the Indian team. So why not Yashasvi Jaiswal? He is batting well. He was batting well in the last match too and then he threw away his wicket. There was a fielder in the deep and he hit it straight to him,” he reasoned (10:55).

“I am expecting him to play well and long. If Hyderabad have a weakness, it’s their bowling. If they score 250, they also concede 240. So you can put their bowling under pressure. I am thinking Yashasvi Jaiswal because he bats well and the World Cup selection deserves a celebration,” the former India opener added.

Chopra noted that Jaiswal and Buttler form a formidable opening combination.

“So that’s him and along with him, Jos Buttler. I am recalling a match here, it was probably a day game, he hit a lot. He batted extremely well at the start. I am going to stay with him because he is that kind of a player. One plus one is not two but 11 if both these openers start well,” he observed.

Buttler has amassed 319 runs, including two centuries, at a strike rate of 150.47 in eight innings in IPL 2024. Jaiswal’s 249-run aggregate in nine games at a strike rate of 154.65 also includes a hundred.

“I am putting Sanju Samson as the third” – Aakash Chopra on the RR players in focus

Aakash Chopra picked Sanju Samson as the third Rajasthan Royals player in focus against the SunRisers Hyderabad.

“I am putting Sanju Samson as the third. Of course, because of the World Cup selection. Everyone is being looked at with that lens because the selection has happened just now. If Shahbaz (Ahmed) and Mayank Markande come in the middle, you will need Sanju Samson to fire to change their game,” he explained (11:50).

Chopra noted that RR have excellent batting depth. He added that Dhruv Jurel will also be expected to contribute handsomely after scoring a half-century in their last match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).