"Nothing's come easy for them" - Ravi Shastri picks Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh as standout players in IPL 2023

Former Team India coach Ravi Shastri selected Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) middle-order batsman Rinku Singh as the standout performers of IPL 2023.

Shastri believes that the duo can be transitioned to international cricket seamlessly thanks to their hunger, passion, and desire. He also felt that the pair could make a late push to be part of the Indian team for the World Cup later this year.

Speaking on the latest episode of ICC Review, Shastri said about Yashasvi Jaiswal:

"One is (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, simply because of the way he's played this season. And for me it is a marked improvement from what I saw from him last year, which is a very, very positive sign."

"It shows that there's a young guy prepared to work on his game, sort out things, get a more all-round game into play and he's done that this season," he added. "Just the power with which he's re-taking shots. Just the pockets he's hitting around the ground as opposed to last year is very good."

Ravi Shastri also heaped similar praise on Rinku Singh and felt that the pair had come from similar backgrounds, making them hungry and driven.

"The other bloke is Rinku Singh, which is a great story," Shastri added. "The more I see of him, that guy has got a fabulous temperament. He's tough as nails. Both these guys have come through very hard backgrounds.

"They've worked very hard initially in their lives and nothing's come easy for them. So you can see that hunger, that passion, that drive that is so needed to make it to the top."

Yashasvi Jaiswal has been arguably the best top-order batter of the season, amassing 575 runs at an average of 47.92 and a strike rate of 166.18.

On the other hand, Rinku Singh has pulled off numerous late-game heroics in addition to his consistent batting in the middle order. He has scored 407 runs at an average of 50.88 and a strike rate of 143.31.

Despite the pair's incredible performances, RR and KKR are on the brink of elimination with only 12 points in 13 games.

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"As far as batting goes, there's Tilak Varma, there's Jitesh Sharma" - Ravi Shastri chooses other standout performers from IPL 2023

Ravi Shastri also picked other standout batters from the ongoing IPL apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh.

While the former Indian all-rounder believes that the Indian bowling attack is well set, he feels that a good crop of these young batters could make a late push to get into the Indian World Cup squad.

Shastri explained:

"As far as batting goes, there's Tilak Varma, there's Jitesh Sharma from Punjab (Kings) too who is a wicket-keeper-batter who's pretty dangerous and has stood out."

"There's even Sai Sudarshan, a left-hander (who has also caught the eye)," he added. "But I would put Tilak Varma, I would put Jaiswal, I'd put Rinku Singh. (They) are the candidates who can really push through along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, who's been around for a while."

Tilak Varma has scored 274 runs in nine matches this season for the Mumbai Indians (MI) at an average of 45.67 and a strike rate of 158.38.

Jitesh Sharma and Sai Sudarshan have also impressed at different times for the Punjab Kings and the Gujarat Titans throughout the season.

The ODI World Cup is set to be played in India from October 5 to November 19.