Former Team India coach Ravi Shastri named Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kolkata Knight Riders middle order batsman Rinku Singh the standout players of IPL 2023
Shastri feels that the duo’s drive, passion, and determination will allow them to easily move to international cricket. Shastri thinks they might get spot on India’s World Cup roster later this year.
In the most recent edition of ICC Review, Ravi Shastri said:
“One is (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, simply because of the way he’s played this season. And for me it is a marked improvement from what I saw from him last year, which is a very, very positive sign.”
“It shows that there’s a young guy prepared to work on his game, sort out things, get a more all-round game into play and he’s done that this season. Just the power with which he’s re-taking shots. Just the pockets he’s hitting around the ground as opposed to last year is very good.”
Ravi Shastri lavished similar praise on Rinku Singh, believing that the two came from comparable backgrounds, making them hungry and motivated.
“The other bloke is Rinku Singh, which is a great story. The more I see of him, that guy has got a fabulous temperament. He’s tough as nails. Both these guys have come through very hard backgrounds.”
“They’ve worked very hard initially in their lives and nothing’s come easy for them. So you can see that hunger, that passion, that drive that is so needed to make it to the top.”
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been the season’s finest top-order batsman, with 575 runs at an average of 47.92 and a strike rate of 166.18.
Rinku Singh, on the other side, has performed multiple late-game heroics in addition to his regular hitting in the middle order. He has scored 407 runs at a 50.88 average with a strike rate of 143.31.
Despite their outstanding achievements, RR and KKR are on the verge of being eliminated with only 12 points in 13 games.
Ravi Shastri chooses other standout performers apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh.
“As far as batting goes, there’s Tilak Varma, there’s Jitesh Sharma from Punjab (Kings) too who is a wicket-keeper-batter who’s pretty dangerous and has stood out. There’s even Sai Sudarshan, a left-hander (who has also caught the eye). But I would put Tilak Varma, I would put Jaiswal, I’d put Rinku Singh. (They) are the candidates who can really push through along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, who’s been around for a while.”
Tilak Varma has 274 runs in nine matches for the Mumbai Indians this season, with an average of 45.67 and a strike rate of 158.38.
Jitesh Sharma and Sai Sudarshan have also excelled for the Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans at various points this season.
The One Day International World Cup will be held in India from October 5 to November 19.