3 min readUpdated: Mar 31, 2026 12:27 PM IST
Former India opener Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, comparing his game awareness to India legend Virat Kohli after his unbeaten knock against Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on Monday.
Jaiswal was considerably tentative from the outset in a 128-run chase, but held his end firm despite being beaten by the CSK pacers early in his innings. Despite appearing scratchy, the left-hander did not give away his wicket and patiently played second fiddle to the audacious 15-year-old, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Chopra acknowledged Jaiswal’s maturity for not attempting flashy strokes to find him out of the early rut, rather focusing on getting the team across the line.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal showed a lot of maturity. He allowed the hitting to be done from the other end. We saw glimpses of Virat Kohli in him, that one needs to look at the larger picture, keep the ego aside, and not compete with the batter at the other end,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
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As Sooryavanshi belted a 15-ball fifty before falling on 52 off 17 deliveries, Jaiswal went ahead to seal the chase along with captain Riyan Parag. The left-hander finished unbeaten on 38 off 36 deliveries, playing one of his slower IPL knocks on the back of just four boundaries.
“The team needs to win, and if it’s possible to go as a red-inker, do that. Red-inker means a star against your name, which means unbeaten. Whoever has a star against his name more times, especially in a run chase, becomes a superstar. Yashasvi Jaiswal drove the game carefully. That was excellent,” remarked Chopra.
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Chopra also lauded Sooryavanshi’s exuberance in setting up a quick chase, smashing five sixes and four fours en route to his blistering half-century.
“He has a fearless attitude. One is not that fearless and carefree because a catch was dropped, but then he hit a six off the next ball, and then he kept hitting. He is an incredible batter. This was the eighth knock in his IPL career, and he has already scored more than 300 runs at a strike rate of more than 200,” said Chopra.
