Yashasvi Jaiswal included in Team India's squad for WTC final as CSK player's replacement: Report

Young opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included as a stand-by player in Team India's squad for the upcoming 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia.

SportsTak

• Sun • 28 May 2023

Young opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included as a stand-by player in Team India's squad for the upcoming 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia. According to a report in The Indian Express, Jaiswal has been roped into the squad in place of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who will miss the marquee clash as he is scheduled to get married on June 3-June4. Gaikwad was named as one of the three stand-by players in the squad along with right-arm pacer Mukesh Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav.

“He (Jaiswal) will be joining the Indian team as Gaikwad has informed us that he won’t be able to fly due to his marriage. He would be able to join the team post-June 5. (But) Coach Rahul Dravid took a call, asking the selectors to pick a replacement. So, Jaiswal will now fly to London soon,” The Indian Express quoted a BCCI official as saying.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Jaiswal was easily one of the biggest storylines of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Long been touted as a generational talent, the left-handed stylish batter knocked on the doors of the Indian national team after stacking up loads of runs in India's premier domestic competitions and in the greatest franchise T20 league in the world. The elegance, class and poise of Jaiswal were never in doubt but the way he has evolved into a power-hitter in the shortest format of the game has even surprised India captain Rohit Sharma.

The Mumbai batter amassed 625 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 163.61 and an average of 48.08. In Ranji Trophy, India's premier domestic competition, Jaiswal scored 404 runs in five matches.

India and Australia - will square off in the second edition of the WTC final at a neutral venue which will make the contest even more compelling. It will be for the first time in two decades that India and Australia will lock horns in an ICC tournament final. The last time these two sides locked horns in an ICC final was in 2003 when Australia defeated India in the ODI World Cup final.

The 2023 WTC final will be played between June 7 and June 11 at The Oval, London. June 12 has been scheduled as a reserve day for the final.