Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reckons that Yashasvi Jaiswal has been rattled and shaken by the sudden rise of his young Rajasthan Royals (RR) opening partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
While the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi has dominated the Orange Cap race with 583 runs in 14 matches at a staggering strike rate of 232.27, Jaiswal has managed 397 runs at a strike rate of 159.43 in the same number of fixtures.
Jaiswal's run tally is lower than in his previous four IPL seasons, prompting Ashwin to suggest that Sooryavanshi’s dominance has shifted the pressure and spotlight.
“It is slightly underwhelming, and I am a bit surprised by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s performance in the Rajasthan Royals team. I am a little surprised because I expected a lot from him; I have high hopes. But I just have a slight inkling of a feeling that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s display has perhaps shaken Jaiswal a bit. It has rattled him,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin also drew a fascinating parallel between the Jaiswal-Sooryavanshi situation and India’s early-2000s Test opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra.
He pointed out how Sehwag’s rapid, aggressive scoring style often made Chopra’s valuable contributions look "invisible" or less significant than they actually were.
“If you remember the opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra in Test matches, Aakash Chopra used to play really well, giving good starts of 30 or 40 runs. But the sheer style and manner in which Virender Sehwag batted used to make Aakash Chopra look almost invisible. Not that he was; Aakash Chopra did a great job on that Australian tour too. But I just have a feeling that because of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s fierce batting here, it has thrown Jaiswal off a little. In many games, Jaiswal got out trying to hit the ball too hard,” Ashwin added.
“I want to see Yashasvi Jaiswal bat well because he has the ability. But this time, Rajasthan Royals’ story has been about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and on the day Jofra Archer was needed, he also stepped up. But all that said, Mumbai Indians have been very, very, very, very underwhelming this season. This score was chaseable,” he further remarked.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals secured the fourth and final playoff spot in the IPL 2026 with a 30-run victory over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (May 24).
The Riyan Parag-led side will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on May 27.
