Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who took the cricketing world by storm with his stunning exploits in the ongoing IPL season, has been named in India’s squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final as a stand-by player, The Indian Express reported on Saturday (May 27).

The decision to include Jaiswal comes after Ruturaj Gaikwad informed the BCCI that he will be getting married on June 3-4.

According to the report, the team management has instructed Jaiswal to start practising with the red ball and the southpaw will depart for London in a few days.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has been in terrific form this season. While the left-hander amassed 625 runs in 14 IPL 2023 games with two centuries, he scored 404 runs in five Ranji Trophy matches.

Initially, the BCCI had picked Gaikwad as a stand-by opener for the WTC Final, where India will take on Australia at The Oval from June 7 to 11.

As per the report, Gaikwad informed the board that he would join the team after June 5 but coach Rahul Dravid sought a replacement.

“He (Jaiswal) will be joining the Indian team as Gaikwad has informed us that he won’t be able to fly due to his marriage. He would be able to join the team post-June 5. (But) Coach Rahul Dravid took a call, asking the selectors to pick a replacement. So, Jaiswal will now fly to London soon,” a BCCI official told The Indian Express.

India captain Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishen will leave for London on May 28 while Suryakumar Yadav will depart on May 30th with Mohammed Shami, Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja, who will play the IPL final on Sunday.

The Indian team has left for London in batches and players who are there have already started practising.

The likes of Shubman Gill, Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja will fly to England on May 30 after playing the IPL 2023 final on May 28.

(The Indian Express Inputs)