Yashasvi Jaiswal the next Sourav Ganguly? Former Indian cricketer lavishes praise on Indian opener

Former India seamer, 2007 T20 World Cup, and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy winner Irfan Pathan hailed Yashasvi Jaiswal for the exceptional talent he has been showcasing late in international cricket and also likened him to former India captain Sourav Ganguly for having a similar knack for playing confidently through the off-side.

Irfan Pathan hailed Yashasvi Jaiswal while speaking in a recent event held by Star Sports to build up the hype of the world’s richest cricketing league – the Indian Premier League 2024 edition, which is most likely to start in the closing weeks of March. Jaiswal who is currently on duty with the national side for a 5-match Test series against England, will be representing the Rajasthan Royals for the 5th season in a row.

Pathan addressed a bunch of school kids in that event and was asked about the player he is most looking forward to seeing in IPL 2024. Without much thinking, he instantly named Jaiswal as the most exciting prospect to watch out for this season and as soon as he did so, the atmosphere inside the room suddenly turned from silence to lively cheers.

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It is indeed quite unbelievable to see the amount of craze youngsters have on Yashasvi Jaiswal who had a very inspiring story to become a professional cricketer.

“I think there is one player that I’m most excited about is Yashasvi Jaiswal and I’m looking forward to how he performs in the IPL this year because he is an incredible talent and a very exciting prospect.” – Irfan Pathan said during Star Sports event.

Pathan would then liken the 22-year-old prodigy to former left-hand batting legend and Indian captain Sourav Ganguly for having a similar proficiency when it comes to playing comfortably through the off-side. Ganguly was very well known for his ability to play exquisite cover drives and square cuts, something Jaiswal too is capable of.

Many would agree that Yashasvi Jaiswal’s batting stance and his bat, feet, and head positioning before playing a shot, are pretty similar to that of the Prince of Calcutta.

“He has a strong off-side game. I mean we used to call Dada, the King of Off-side and if he (Jaiswal) plays for another 10 years consistently then I feel we’ll be talking a lot about his off-side as much as we used to talk about Dada’s. So Yashasvi is that type of a player.” – Pathan added. 

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“He Has An Outstanding Story”, Irfan Pathan Opines On Yashasvi Jaiswal’s Inspirational Story

Irfan Pathan would then win many hearts with what he said afterward. The 39-year-old hailed the way Yashasvi Jaiswal reached to his maiden Test double hundred against England in the 2nd Test in Vishakhapatnam before mentioning his unique story of spending his days and nights at Maidans in Mumbai.

“Now he also has a double hundred to his name but his story is so outstanding. Who love Yashasvi Jaiswal’s story? Everyone loves his story. I mean I also often say that the boy who used to sleep in Maidans for not having a house, is now waking up every bowler with terror in the maidans.” -Irfan Pathan concluded.

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