Yashasvi Jaiswal declares war with selectors for a ICC T20 World Cup 2026 berth

Yashasvi Jaiswal is widely seen as one of India’s most gifted young batters, yet his journey in white-ball cricket has not been as smooth as his rise in Tests. While Yashasvi Jaiswal has firmly established himself in the longest format of the game, he is yet to establish himself in India’s ODI and T20I teams despite leaving a strong impression every time he has stepped in.

The left-handed batter made his ODI debut in February this year, and in just four matches he has already scored 171 runs, including a superb unbeaten century against South Africa recently. His T20I numbers have been equally impressive since his debut in 2023.

Across 22 innings, he has smashed 723 runs at a fiery strike rate of 164.31 with the help of one century and five half-centuries. But India’s white-ball setup is overflowing with top-order talent. With so many strong options available, Jaiswal has often been forced to spend time on the sidelines.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Yashasvi Jaiswal wants to live his T20 World Cup dream

Currently, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill are opening for India in T20Is, pushing Sanju Samson to the middle order. The competition is so intense that even Samson, who smashed three centuries as an opener, had to step aside the moment Gill returned to the T20I side as the vice-captain.

Read Also: There is a fine line...: AB de Villiers reacts after Gautam Gambhir calls batting order 'overrated'

Despite this, the 23-year-old has his eyes firmly set on the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka in February-March. However, Jaiswal is redy to fight for his place, continue improving, and grab the opportunity whenever it comes. Even the youngster hopes to represent India across formats consistently.

Yashasvi Jaiswal said on Agenda Aaj Tak Summit, “My dream is to play the T20 World Cup, but I try to focus on my game and will wait for my time.”

Yashasvi Jaiswal ready to leadership as Rajasthan Royals hunt for new captain

He is also open to taking on leadership responsibilities in the future if the opportunity arises. Interestingly, leadership might become a real possibility sooner than expected.

Jaiswal’s IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals, is currently searching for a new captain after Sanju Samson’s blockbuster trade to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

Jaiswal is likely to be one of the contenders. However, the Royals also has experienced names like Ravindra Jadeja, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel, who are ahead of him in the race for RR captaincy. He further stressed, “Yes, if I get a chance, I would like to lead India.”

Read Also: Is KKR preparing a big bid for Prithvi Shaw at the IPL Auction 2026?

Yashasvi Jaiswal stuns fans by calling Rohit Sharma cricket’s ‘Dhurandhar’

During the segment, Jaiswal created a fun moment when he compared big cricket stars to popular movie characters. He linked the former India captain Rohit Sharma with Ranveer Singh’s character in the latest film, Dhurandhar.

This made everyone smile, as he spoke warmly about Rohit and hinted that behind Rohit’s calm and friendly nature lies strong presence, power, and personality. Jaiswal was given a list of movie titles and asked to match each one with an Indian cricketer.

The moment he heard Dhurandhar, he instantly thought of Rohit. The next movie title was Baahubali, and he named Yuzvendra Chahal.