As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is slowly entering its business end, Indian cricketers, both established and rising stars, are giving an account of their skillset by playing important roles in their respective franchise's success. With the 2024 T20 World Cup scheduled to begin right after the conclusion of the cash-rich tournament, the onus is on the Indian cricketers to find form and rhythm heading into the ICC tournament.
While most of the Indian cricketers who are in contention to be picked in India's squad for the T20 World Cup are doing their job for the teams they are playing for currently, there is one rising superstar whose lack of form has become a genuine cause of concern for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and over a billion fans.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal struggling to buy a run
Prodigious left-handed batter Yashasvi Jaiswal is enduring a horrendous start to his IPL 2024 campaign. In four matches, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener has scored a paltry 39 runs and is averaging a miserable 9.75. Jaiswal has just smashed one six in this year's competition so far, which is astonishing considering how impeccably he was striking the ball during India's home test series against England that preceded the IPL.
Jaiswal's lack of production with the willow has stirred a major concern for the BCCI, especially with the T20 World Cup fast approaching and he was being touted to open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma. Looking at Jaiswal's recent run of form, the aforementioned opening duo looks far from coming to fruition.
In case, Jaiswal fails to find a way out of the recent slump and the 'Jasball' doesn't take off in the upcoming matches, the BCCI will be forced to make the hard decision pertaining to India's squad for the World Cup.
Don't count out Yashasvi Jaiswal just yet!
The 22-year-old explosive batter is currently struggling to buy a run but dismissing his ability to turn his fortunes around would be foolish, to say the least. In the cash-rich tournament last year, Jaiswal emerged as the dazzling destroyer of bowling attacks and the best of bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the left-handed batter.
Jaiswal's numbers in the previous edition were off the charts. The RR opener scored 625 in 14 matches at a stupendous strike rate of 163.61. He smashed 82 fours and 26 sixes, while Jaiswal registered five fifties and one century. In that campaign, Jaiswal created the record of the fastest half-century in IPL history to go along with several other records he destroyed and minted.
The deeper you delve into Jaiswal's production with the bat, the more eye-popping his impact appears. In the last two seasons combined, the RR opener has scored 883 runs, which is ranked 10th among all batters in that timeframe. Jaiswal registered a strike rate of 153.3 which is ranked 12th while he averaged 38.4 which is ranked 16 among all batters.
Jaiswal is equally good in either innings
Be it setting the target or chasing a score, Jaiswal's numbers are equally impressive in either scenario. If you take the last two seasons, Jaiswal has a strike rate of 158.2 and an average of 37.2 when he bats first. In terms of chasing a target, Jaiswal's strike rate of 147.8 and average of 44.3 only shows his ability to turn the momentum of the game around in quick time.
In terms of batting in different phases of an innings, Jaiswal has a strike rate of 161.5 in powerplay (345 balls faced), a strike rate of 134.1 in middle overs (243 balls faced), and a strike rate of 278.6 in death overs (16 balls faced).
What's more impressive about Jaiswal is that he doesn't really have a weak point against any form of variety of bowlers. Against left-arm pace, Jaiswal has a strike rate of 169.3 and an average of 26.9. Against right-arm pace, Jaiswal has a strike rate of 149.6 and an average of 32.9. Against finger-spinners, Jaiswal has a strike rate of 141.9 and an average of 122. Against wrist-spinners, Jaiswal has a strike rate of 140.7 and an average of 121.
The aforementioned numbers reflect how big of a match-winner Jaiswal has proved to be and the sample size is large enough to not deem it as a one-and-done thing. Jaiswal has been equally impressive in the Team India threads, if not more impactful.
Thus, the palpable amount of concern among fans and the BCCI think tank is understandable. One would hope that young Yashasvi finds his Midas touch and returns to being the dazzling destroyer of bowling attacks like everyone in the cricket fraternity knows he can be.
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