3 reasons why Yashasvi Jaiswal is a dark horse for India’s ODI World Cup squad

Yashasvi Jaiswal raises his bat after scoring the fast IPL fifty against KKR at the Eden Gardens. — Yashasvi Jaiswal raises his bat after scoring the fast IPL fifty, against KKR at the Eden Gardens.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s rags-to-riches story has been nothing short of a fairytale. From selling pani-puri to make ends meet as a teenager, to notching up the fastest half-century in IPL, Jaiswal couldn’t have asked for more.

His sheer hard work and dedication have allowed him to showcase his skill sets in front of the whole world.

After scoring his maiden IPL century against the Mumbai Indians at his home ground (Wankhede Stadium), Jaiswal turned the heat at the Eden Gardens. He scored an unbeaten 98 against the Kolkata Knight Riders to seal a thumping win for the Rajasthan Royals.

His fearless approach at the top of the order has worked wonders for the Royals. It was due to his incredible knock in Kolkata that RR are still in with a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

With the ODI World Cup slated to be played later this year on home soil, Indian selectors might be forced to think about bringing Jaiswal in. He could be a wild-card entry into the World Cup squad.

To explore this topic further, let us have a look at 3 reasons why Yashasvi Jaiswal is a dark horse for India’s ODI World Cup squad:

#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fearless attitude

Despite being in the initial stages of his IPL cricket career, Yashasvi Jaiswal doesn’t worry about the reputation and status of the bowler he is facing. If the ball is in his arc, he goes for his shots, even if he is just starting out. This was evident during the special knock against KKR.

He smashed Nitish Rana for 26 runs in the opening over and it wasn’t particularly bad bowling either from the KKR skipper. It was just Jaiswal's day and whatever he touched turned to gold.

The 21-year-old is just a solitary run behind Faf du Plessis in the Orange Cap list so far, having scored 575 runs in just 12 games. These runs are a testament to his fearless approach, one that could pay rich dividends in a major event like the World Cup.

#2 Jaiswal's superlative form

The 21-year-old is literally knocking on the doors of the Indian selection committee. It’s not just about the volume of runs he has scored in this IPL, it is about the manner in which he has scored those runs.

Right from RR’s first game of the competition, Yashasvi Jaiswal has looked in stupendous touch and has made batting look ridiculously easy. He doesn’t really have a weak area in his batting.

Jaiswal has the ability to play three to four different strokes on one particular delivery, which makes him a special player. Given his form and confidence, bringing him in for the World Cup is a possibility.

#3 Jaiswal will bring in the X factor

Right from his U-19 days, Jaiswal has had a wide range of strokes in his repertoire. It might backfire on occasions, but that’s where the X factor comes in. His batting style has much more than just brute force and big shots.

He can manipulate the field to perfection and also has the ability to nudge it around for singles when wickets are tumbling at the other end. His first-class record is nothing short of phenomenal.

In just 15 matches so far, he has close to 1,900 runs at a staggering average of 80. Keeping everything in mind, Yashasvi Jaiswal could become the next big thing in Indian cricket.