Aakash Chopra dragged into debate as comparisons with Yashasvi Jaiswal emerge am

The Rise of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and the Shift in Spotlight

Only a couple of years ago, Yashasvi Jaiswal was widely regarded as one of the most exciting and promising young top-order batters in global cricket. However, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a tournament where new stars are born overnight. In the ongoing IPL 2026 season, the arrival of a 14-year-old batting prodigy has completely shifted the narrative. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the young left-hander from Bihar, made his debut for the Rajasthan Royals and has quickly established himself as one of the most destructive forces in T20 cricket.

As Sooryavanshi continues his relentless onslaught against world-class bowling lineups, Jaiswal, who is still only 21, has gradually slipped out of the primary spotlight. The stark difference in their current form has caught the attention of veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who shared his candid observations about Jaiswal’s performances while opening alongside the teenage sensation.

Analyzing the Numbers: The Statistical Contrast in IPL 2026

To understand the depth of the situation, one only needs to look at the statistical output of the two Rajasthan Royals openers during this campaign. The gap in both run scoring and scoring rate is highly evident:

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: 583 runs in 14 innings, averaging 41.64 with an outstanding strike rate of 232.27.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal: 397 runs, averaging 33.08 with a strike rate of 159.43.

While Jaiswal’s numbers are solid by traditional T20 standards, they have been completely eclipsed by Sooryavanshi’s historic strike rate of over 230. This massive disparity has created a unique psychological pressure, which Ashwin believes is actively affecting Jaiswal’s approach at the crease.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s Take on Jaiswal’s Psychological Struggle

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed his surprise and slight disappointment with Jaiswal’s output. He noted that the sheer audacity of Sooryavanshi’s batting seems to have thrown the senior partner off his game.

“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 remarked.

Ashwin went on to explain that Jaiswal has often looked rushed, attempting to force the pace of his innings to match his partner’s explosive scoring rate, which has ultimately led to his downfall. “In many games, Jaiswal got out trying to hit the ball too hard,” Ashwin noted.

The Historical Analogy: Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra

To provide context to this opening dynamic, Ashwin drew an intriguing parallel from Indian cricket history, recalling the Test opening partnership of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra during the early 2000s.

During that era, Chopra was highly regarded for his defensive resilience and his ability to blunt the new ball, often producing gritty starts of 30 or 40 runs. However, Sehwag’s aggressive, boundary-laden style of play was so dominant that Chopra’s vital contributions were often rendered almost invisible to the public eye.

“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,” Ashwin explained.

Mumbai Indians’ Underwhelming Run and Jofra Archer’s Impact

In addition to discussing the Royals’ internal batting dynamics, Ashwin also touched upon the broader tournament picture. Following Rajasthan’s victory over the Mumbai Indians, where they successfully defended a target of 206, Ashwin expressed strong disappointment with the opposition’s campaign.

According to Ashwin, the pitch conditions made the target of 206 highly chaseable, making Mumbai’s failure to do so a reflection of their poor season. “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, the Mumbai Indians have been very, very, very, very underwhelming this season. This score was chaseable,” Ashwin concluded.

As the Rajasthan Royals push further into the IPL 2026 season, all eyes will be on how Jaiswal manages this mental hurdle and whether he can rediscover the fluent, natural batting style that made him a global sensation.