'Don't have to be Vaibhav Suryavanshi': Harbhajan Singh's blunt advice to Yashasvi Jaiswal ahead of Qualifier 2 clash vs GT

Rajasthan Royals (RR) will lock horns against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Qualifier 2 clash on Friday, May 27 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. However, star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal's batting form has become a concern for RR ahead of the key game, as the lefty opener has struggled for consistency in the ongoing season.

Harbhajan Singh's key advice to Yashasvi Jaiswal

Reacting on the same, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has urged Yashasvi Jaiswal to stop emulating Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's game play, as he is not a natural six hitter and has to stick to his original style of play during an interaction with Star Sports.

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“If I am in the RR camp, I will tell him just one thing, 'You don't have to try and be Vaibhav Suryavanshi. You have to remain Jaiswal.' Just be Jaiswal, he is far ahead of many players. Not many have the kind of game that he has," said Harbhajan.

Harbhajan believes that Yashasvi needs to time the ball which has been his strong point in T20 cricket and have to back himself to play along the ground, to find success in the crucial stage of the tournament.

"Yashasvi just needs to time the ball. He is also trying to hit the ball too hard, which is why his body weight is going backwards, and the ball is going in the air. All he needs to do is just back himself and play along the ground and time the ball,” said Harbhajan.

“He has never been that six-hitter. That's the difference between Jaiswal and Suryavanshi. Suryavanshi is a six-hitter, and Jaiswal is a four-hitter. When a four-hitter tries to hit sixes, his body weight moves. So, if he tries to hit fours, the sixes will automatically come in that flow,” Harbhajan added.

Yashasvi Jaiswal's underwhelming campaign in IPL 2026

The star left-handed batter has endured an underwhelming individual campaign in the ongoing IPL 2026 season. Despite starting in a flashy fashion, Jaiswal faced a slump in his batting form and struggled to maintain his consistency.

In 15 innings, Jaiswal has managed to score 426 runs at an average of 32.77 with an aggressive strike rate of 153.24. The left-handed opener recorded only three half-centuries in the tournament, with his highest score being unbeaten 77 off 32 which came against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a league stage match.